flexure

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: flex=ure

CIDE DICTIONARY

flexure, n. [L. flexura.].

•  The act of flexing or bending; a turning or curving; flexion; hence, obsequious bowing or bending.  [1913 Webster]

  "Will it give place to flexure and low bending?"  [1913 Webster]
•  A turn; a bend; a fold; a curve.  [1913 Webster]

  "Varying with the flexures of the valley through which it meandered."  [1913 Webster]
•  The last joint, or bend, of the wing of a bird.  [1913 Webster]
•  The small distortion of an astronomical instrument caused by the weight of its parts; the amount to be added or substracted from the observed readings of the instrument to correct them for this distortion.  [1913 Webster]

The flexure of a curve (Math.), the bending of a curve towards or from a straight line.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

flexure, n.
1 a the act of bending or the condition of being bent. b a bend, curve, or turn.
2 Math. the curving of a line, surface, or solid, esp. from a straight line, plane, etc.
3 Geol. the bending of strata under pressure.

Derivative

flexural adj.

Etymology

L flexura (as FLEX(1))

THESAURUS

flexure

S-curve, angle, angularity, angularness, bend, bending, bow, bowing, conflexure, crease, creasing, crimp, crookedness, deflection, deflexure, diffraction, diffusion, dispersion, distortion, dog-ear, double, doubling, duplicature, flection, flex, flounce, fold, frill, gather, geanticline, geosyncline, hairpin turn, hookedness, inflection, lapel, lappet, meander, orthogonality, oxbow, plica, plication, plicature, ply, rectangularity, reflection, refraction, right-angledness, right-angularity, ruche, ruching, ruffle, scatter, skewness, sweep, torsion, tuck, turn, turning

ROGET THESAURUS

flexure

Curvature

N curvature, curvity, curvation, incurvature, incurvity, incurvation, bend, flexure, flexion, flection, conflexure, crook, hook, bought, bending, deflection, deflexion, inflection, inflexion, concameration, arcuation, devexity, turn, deviation, detour, sweep, curl, curling, bough, recurvity, recurvation, sinuosity, kink, carve, arc, arch, arcade, vault, bow, crescent, half-moon, lunule, horseshoe, loop, crane neck, parabola, hyperbola, helix, spiral, catenary, festoon, conchoid, cardioid, caustic, tracery, arched ceiling, arched roof, bay window, bow window, sine curve, spline, spline curve, spline function, obliquity, curved, curviform, curvilineal, curvilinear, devex, devious, recurved, recurvous, crump, bowed, vaulted, hooked, falciform, falcated, semicircular, crescentic, sinusoid, parabolic, paraboloid, luniform, lunular, semilunar, conchoidal, helical, double helical, spiral, kinky, cordiform, cordated, cardioid, heart shaped, bell shaped, boat shaped, crescent shaped, lens shaped, moon shaped, oar shaped, shield shaped, sickle shaped, tongue shaped, pear shaped, fig shaped, kidney-shaped, reniform, lentiform, lenticular, bow-legged, oblique, circular, aduncated, arclike, arcuate, arched, beaked, bicorn, bicornuous, bicornute, clypeate, clypeiform, cymbiform, embowed, galeiform, hamate, hamiform, hamous, hooked, linguiform, lingulate, lobiform, lunate, navicular, peltate, remiform, rhamphoid, rostrate, rostriferous, rostroid, scutate, scaphoid, uncate, unguiculate, unguiform.

Fold

N fold, plicature, plait, pleat, ply, crease, tuck, gather, flexion, flexure, joint, elbow, double, doubling, duplicature, gather, wrinkle, rimple, crinkle, crankle, crumple, rumple, rivel, ruck, ruffle, dog's ear, corrugation, frounce, flounce, lapel, pucker, crow's feet, plication, folded, fluted, pleated.