cur·va·ture

[kur-vuh-cher, -choor]
noun
1.
the act of curving or the state of being curved.
2.
a curved condition, often abnormal: curvature of the spine.
3.
the degree of curving of a line or surface.
4.
Geometry.
a.
(at a point on a curve) the derivative of the inclination of the tangent with respect to arc length.
b.
the absolute value of this derivative.
5.
something curved.

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin curvātūra, equivalent to curvāt(us) past participle of curvāre to bend, curve + -ūra -ure. See -ate1

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Curvature is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Collins
World English Dictionary
curvature (ˈkɜːvətʃə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  something curved or a curved part of a thing
2.  any normal or abnormal curving of a bodily part: curvature of the spine
3.  geometry radius of curvature See also centre of curvature the change in inclination of a tangent to a curve over unit length of arc. For a circle or sphere it is the reciprocal of the radius
4.  the act of curving or the state or degree of being curved or bent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

curvature
1660s, from L. curvatura "bending," from curvare "to bend" (see curve). In non-Euclidian geometry, from 1873
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

curvature cur·va·ture (kûr'və-ch&oobreve;r', -chər)
n.
A curving or bending, especially an abnormal one.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Yes, you'll see curvature, but you're not seeing the whole thing.
He got toward the base of the face, still well above the bottom, and rounded
  out of the drop as the surface curvature allowed.
By tweaking the features of the model fish, they could estimate how body
  curvature affected range.
As the result the time-space curvature can be explained in terms of probability
  distribution of bosons and fermions.
Images for curvature
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