Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

cusp

 - 5 dictionary results
CUSP Holiday Sale
Shop the sale online & in stores. Save as much as 40% off. CUSP.com
www.CUSP.com

cusp

  [kuhsp]
Use cusp in a Sentence
–noun
1. a point or pointed end.
2. Anatomy, Zoology, Botany. a point, projection, or elevation, as on the crown of a tooth.
3. Also called spinode. Geometry. a point where two branches of a curve meet, end, and are tangent.
4. Architecture. a decorative device, used esp. in Gothic architecture to vary the outlines of intradoses or to form architectural foils, consisting of a pair of curves tangent to the real or imaginary line defining the area decorated and meeting at a point within the area.
5. Astronomy. a point of a crescent, esp. of the moon.
6. Astrology.
a. the zodiacal degree that marks the beginning of a house or a sign.
b. Informal. a person born on the first day of a sign.
7. a point that marks the beginning of a change: on the cusp of a new era.
Origin:
1575–85; < L cuspis a point

Related forms:
cuspal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cusp
CUSP Holiday Sale
Shop the sale online & in stores. Save as much as 40% off. CUSP.com
www.CUSP.com
cusp   (kŭsp)   
n.  

  1. A point or pointed end.

  2. Anatomy

    1. A pointed or rounded projection on the chewing surface of a tooth.

    2. A triangular fold or flap of a heart valve.

  3. Mathematics A point at which a curve crosses itself and at which the two tangents to the curve coincide.

  4. Architecture The point of intersection of two ornamental arcs or curves, such as the inner points of a trefoil.

  5. Astronomy Either point of a crescent moon.

  6. A transitional point or time, as between two astrological signs.


[Latin cuspis, point.]
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
Word Origin & History

cusp 
1585, from L. cuspis "point, spear, pointed end." Astrological use is earliest.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cusp
Pronunciation: 'k&sp
Function: noun
1 : a point on the grinding surface of a tooth
2 : a fold or flap of acardiac valve —cus·pal /'k&s-p&l/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

cusp (kŭsp)
n.

  1. A pointed or rounded projection on the chewing surface of a tooth.

  2. A triangular fold or flap of a heart valve.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see cusp on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way