Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
 
Help
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

Involute

 - 3 dictionary results

in⋅vo⋅lute

  [adj., n. in-vuh-loot; v. in-vuh-loot, in-vuh-loot] adjective, noun, verb, -lut⋅ed, -lut⋅ing.
Use Involute in a Sentence
–adjective
1. intricate; complex.
2. curled or curved inward or spirally.
3. Botany. rolled inward from the edge, as a leaf.
4. Zoology. (of shells) having the whorls closely wound.
–noun
5. Geometry. any curve of which a given curve is the evolute.
–verb (used without object)
6. to roll or curl up; become involute.
7. to return to a normal shape, size, or state.
Origin:
1655–65; < L involūtus (ptp. of involvere to roll up, wrap, cover), equiv. to in- in- 2 + volū- (var. s. of volvere to roll) + -tus ptp. suffix; cf. involve

Related forms:
in⋅vo⋅lute⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Involute
in·vo·lute   (ĭn'və-lōōt')   


(click for larger image in new window)
adj.  

  1. Intricate; complex.

  2. Botany

    1. Having the margins rolled inward.

    2. Having whorls that obscure the axis or other volutions, as the shell of a cowrie.

intr.v.   in·vo·lut·ed, in·vo·lut·ing, in·vo·lutes

  1. To curl inward.

  2. To return to a normal or former condition.

n.  The curve traced by a point on a taut, inextensible string as it unwinds from another curve.

[Latin involūtus, past participle of involvere, to enwrap; see involve.]
in'vo·lute'ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: in·vo·lute
Pronunciation: "in-v&-'lüt
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Forms: -lut·ed; -lut·ing
1 : to return to a former condition involutes>
2 : to become cleared up involuteswithout desquammation —Annals of New York Academy of Sciences>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Involute on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way