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oval

 - 3 dictionary results

o⋅val

  [oh-vuhl]
Use oval in a Sentence
–adjective
1. having the general form, shape, or outline of an egg; egg-shaped.
2. ellipsoidal or elliptical.
–noun
3. an object of oval shape.
4. a body or plane figure that is oval in shape or outline.
5. an elliptical field or a field on which an elliptical track is laid out, as for athletic contests.
6. Informal. a football.
Origin:
1560–70; < NL ōvālis, equiv. to L ōv(um) egg 1 + -ālis -al 1

Related forms:
o⋅val⋅ly, adverb
o⋅val⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To oval
o·val   (ō'vəl)   
adj.  

  1. Resembling an egg in shape.

  2. Resembling an ellipse in shape; elliptical.

n.  

  1. An egg-shaped or elliptical form or figure.

  2. An elliptical track, as for racing or athletic events.


[Medieval Latin ōvālis, from Latin ōvum, egg; see awi- in Indo-European roots.]
o'val·ly adv., o'val·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

oval 
1570, from M.L. ovalis "egg-shaped" (cf. Fr. oval, 1546), lit. "of or pertaining to an egg," from L. ovum "egg," from PIE *owyo-/*oyyo- "egg" (see egg). The classical L. word was ovatus.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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