great circle

noun

a circle on a spherical surface such that the plane containing the circle passes through the center of the sphere. Compare small circle.
a circle of which a segment represents the shortest distance between two points on the surface of the earth.

great circle

See small circle
a circular section of a sphere that has a radius equal to that of the sphere Compare small circle

great circle

A circle on the surface of a sphere whose plane passes through the center of the sphere. The Earth's equator is a great circle on the sphere of the globe.

First recorded in 1585–95

So who else might lie inside the great circle of the Amphipolis tomb?

My readers will imagine a great circle carefully railed off from the outside world by iron bars.

We begin then the detailed evolution of form; it is like a great circle traced downwards and upwards.

And then at last he led the horse out into the center of the great circle of the lodges, and told his daughter to dismount.

It swung and banked, and the vibrant song of its engine came down to the men as Blake swept in a great circle about the big ship.

Other views had been partial: this was a great circle of the heavens and the earth, three hundred miles in circumference!

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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