Elliptical

Elliptical
Elliptic El*lip"tic, Elliptical El*lip"tic*al, a. [Gr. ?: cf. F. elliptique. See {Ellipsis}.] 1. Of or pertaining to an ellipse; having the form of an ellipse; oblong, with rounded ends. [1913 Webster]

The planets move in elliptic orbits. --Cheyne. [1913 Webster]

The billiard sharp who any one catches, His doom's extremely hard He's made to dwell In a dungeon cell On a spot that's always barred. And there he plays extravagant matches In fitless finger-stalls On a cloth untrue With a twisted cue And elliptical billiard balls! --Gilbert and Sullivan (The Mikado: The More Humane Mikado Song)

2. Having a part omitted; as, an elliptical phrase. [1913 Webster]

3. leaving out information essential to comprehension; so concise as to be difficult to understand; obscure or ambiguous; -- of speech or writing; as, an elliptical comment. [PJC]

{Elliptic chuck}. See under {Chuck}.

{Elliptic compasses}, an instrument arranged for drawing ellipses.

{Elliptic function}. (Math.) See {Function}.

{Elliptic integral}. (Math.) See {Integral}.

{Elliptic polarization}. See under {Polarization}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • elliptical — index brief Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • elliptical — 1650s, “elliptic in shape;” see ELLIPTIC (Cf. elliptic) + AL (Cf. al) (1). Grammatical sense of “missing essential words or phrases” is recorded from 1778 (see ELLIPSIS (Cf. ellipsis)). Related: Elliptically …   Etymology dictionary

  • elliptical — [adj] oval shaped egg shaped, ellipsoidal, oblong, ovoid; concept 486 …   New thesaurus

  • elliptical — ► ADJECTIVE 1) another term for ELLIPTIC(Cf. ↑ellipticity). 2) (of speech or text) using or involving ellipsis, especially so as to be difficult to understand. DERIVATIVES elliptically adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • elliptical — [e lip′ti kəl, ilip′ti kəl] adj. [< Gr elleiptikos (see ELLIPSE) + AL] 1. of, or having the form of, an ellipse, as some leaves: see LEAF 2. of or characterized by ellipsis; with a word or words omitted, with obscure, incomplete constructions …   English World dictionary

  • elliptical — [[t]ɪlɪ̱ptɪk(ə)l[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED Something that is elliptical has the shape of an ellipse. [FORMAL] ...the moon s elliptical orbit... The stadium is elliptical in plan. 2) ADJ GRADED Elliptical references to something are indirect rather than… …   English dictionary

  • elliptical — 1. adjective /ɪˈlɪp.tɪk.əl,ɪˈlɪp.tɪ.kəl,əˈlɪp.tɪ.kəl/ a) In a shape reminding of an ellipse; oval. Having admitted that the projectile was describing an orbit around the moon, this orbit must necessarily be elliptical; science proves that it must …   Wiktionary

  • elliptical — ellipticalness, n. /i lip ti keuhl/, adj. Also, elliptic. 1. pertaining to or having the form of an ellipse. 2. pertaining to or marked by grammatical ellipsis. 3. (of speech or writing) expressed with extreme or excessive economy; relieved of… …   Universalium

  • elliptical — el|lip|ti|cal [ıˈlıptıkəl] adj also el|lip|tic [ tık] [Date: 1600 1700; : Greek; Origin: elleiptikos, from elleipein; ELLIPSIS] 1.) having the shape of an ellipse ▪ Kepler published his discovery of the elliptical orbits of planets in 1609. 2.)… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • elliptical — also el.lip.tic adjective 1 having the shape of an ellipse: The earth s orbit is elliptical. 2 elliptical speech or writing is difficult to understand because more is meant than is actually said: an elliptical remark …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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