Nearby Words
noun Geometry.
a plane curve such that the sums of the distances of each point in its periphery from two fixed points, the foci, are equal. It is a conic section formed by the intersection of a right circular cone by a plane that cuts the axis and the surface of the cone. Typical equation: (x2/a2) + (y2/b2) = 1. If a = b the ellipse is a circle.
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Ellipses
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Example Sentences
- Distorting anyone's words via the use of ellipses is dishonest and betrays a shoddy application of editorial standards.
- To her, such ellipses contained a world of social possibility which could not be overlooked.
- Undergraduates almost never use ellipses correctly in any essay they submit as part of a course requirement.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun, plural el·lip·ses 
[-seez] .
[-seez] . 1.
Grammar.
a.
the omission from a sentence or other construction of one or more words that would complete or clarify the construction, as the omission of who are, while I am, or while we are from I like to interview people sitting down.
b.
the omission of one or more items from a construction in order to avoid repeating the identical or equivalent items that are in a preceding or following construction, as the omission of been to Paris from the second clause of I've been to Paris, but they haven't.
2.
Printing. a mark or marks as ——, …, or * * *, to indicate an omission or suppression of letters or words.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To ellipses
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| ellipse (ĭ-lĭps') Pronunciation Key
A closed, symmetric curve shaped like an oval, which can be formed by intersecting a cone with a plane that is not parallel or perpendicular to the cone's base. The sum of the distances of any point on an ellipse from two fixed points (called the foci) remains constant no matter where the point is on the curve. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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