involute

[ adjective, noun in-vuh-loot; verb in-vuh-loot, in-vuh-loot ]
See synonyms for involute on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. intricate; complex.

  2. curled or curved inward or spirally.

  1. Botany. rolled inward from the edge, as a leaf.

  2. Zoology. (of shells) having the whorls closely wound.

noun
  1. Geometry. any curve of which a given curve is the evolute.

verb (used without object),in·vo·lut·ed, in·vo·lut·ing.
  1. to roll or curl up; become involute.

  2. to return to a normal shape, size, or state.

Origin of involute

1
1655–65; <Latin involūtus (past participle of involvere to roll up, wrap, cover), equivalent to in-in-2 + volū- (variant stem of volvere to roll) + -tus past participle suffix; cf. involve

Other words from involute

  • in·vo·lute·ly, adverb
  • sub·in·vo·lute, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use involute in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for involute

involute

adjective(ˈɪnvəˌluːt) involuted
  1. complex, intricate, or involved

  2. botany (esp of petals, leaves, etc, in bud) having margins that are rolled inwards

  1. (of certain shells) closely coiled so that the axis is obscured

noun(ˈɪnvəˌluːt)
  1. geometry the curve described by the free end of a thread as it is wound around another curve, the evolute, such that its normals are tangential to the evolute: See also evolute

verb(ˌɪnvəˈluːt)
  1. (intr) to become involute

Origin of involute

1
C17: from Latin involūtus, from involvere; see involve

Derived forms of involute

  • involutely, adverb
  • involutedly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012