oval

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: o=val

CIDE DICTIONARY

oval, a. [F. ovale, fr. L. ovum egg. Cf. Egg, Ovum.].

•  Of or pertaining to eggs; done in the egg, or inception; as, oval conceptions.  [1913 Webster]
•  Having the figure of an egg; oblong and curvilinear, with one end broader than the other, or with both ends of about the same breadth; in popular usage, elliptical.  [1913 Webster]
•  Broadly elliptical.  [1913 Webster]

Oval chuck (Mech.), a lathe chuck so constructed that work attached to it, and cut by the turning tool in the usual manner, becomes of an oval form.

oval, n. 

 A body or figure in the shape of an egg, or popularly, of an ellipse.  [1913 Webster]

Cassinian oval (Geom.), the locus of a point the product of whose distances from two fixed points is constant; -- so called from Cassini, who first investigated the curve. Thus, in the diagram, if P moves so that P A.P B is constant, the point P describes a Cassinian oval. The locus may consist of a single closed line, as shown by the dotted line, or of two equal ovals about the points A and B.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

oval, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 egg-shaped, ellipsoidal.
2 having the outline of an egg, elliptical.
--n.
1 an egg-shaped or elliptical closed curve.
2 any object with an oval outline.
3 Austral. a ground for Australian Rules football.

Idiom

Oval Office the office of the US President in the White House.

Derivative

ovality n. ovally adv. ovalness n.

Etymology

med.L ovalis (as OVUM)

THESAURUS

oval

archery ground, athletic field, badminton court, baseball field, basketball court, billiard parlor, bowling alley, bowling green, course, court, cricket ground, croquet ground, croquet lawn, diamond, egg-shaped, ellipse, ellipsoidal, elliptic, elliptical, fairway, field, football field, glaciarium, golf course, golf links, gridiron, gym, gymnasium, ice rink, infield, links, obovate, obovoid, outfield, ovate, oviform, ovoid, ovule, playground, playing field, playroom, polo ground, pool hall, poolroom, putting green, racecourse, racket court, rink, skating rink, soccer field, squash court, stretch, tennis court, track, turf

ROGET THESAURUS

oval

Circularity

N circularity, roundness, rotundity, circle, circlet, ring, areola, hoop, roundlet, annulus, annulet, bracelet, armlet, ringlet, eye, loop, wheel, cycle, orb, orbit, rundle, zone, belt, cordon, band, contrate wheel, crown wheel, hub, nave, sash, girdle, cestus, cincture, baldric, fillet, fascia, wreath, garland, crown, corona, coronet, chaplet, snood, necklace, collar, noose, lasso, lassoo, ellipse, oval, ovule, ellipsoid, cycloid, epicycloid, epicycle, semicircle, quadrant, sextant, sector, sphere, round, rounded, circular, annular, orbicular, oval, ovate, elliptic, elliptical, egg-shaped, pear-shaped, cycloidal, spherical, I watched the little circles die, circularity, roundness, rotundity, circle, circlet, ring, areola, hoop, roundlet, annulus, annulet, bracelet, armlet, ringlet, eye, loop, wheel, cycle, orb, orbit, rundle, zone, belt, cordon, band, contrate wheel, crown wheel, hub, nave, sash, girdle, cestus, cincture, baldric, fillet, fascia, wreath, garland, crown, corona, coronet, chaplet, snood, necklace, collar, noose, lasso, lassoo, ellipse, oval, ovule, ellipsoid, cycloid, epicycloid, epicycle, semicircle, quadrant, sextant, sector, sphere, round, rounded, circular, annular, orbicular, oval, ovate, elliptic, elliptical, egg-shaped, pear-shaped, cycloidal, spherical, I watched the little circles die.