oval

[ oh-vuhl ]
See synonyms for oval on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. having the general form, shape, or outline of an egg; egg-shaped.

  2. ellipsoidal or elliptical.

noun
  1. an object of oval shape.

  2. a body or plane figure that is oval in shape or outline.

  1. an elliptical field or a field on which an elliptical track is laid out, as for athletic contests.

  2. Informal. a football.

Origin of oval

1
1560–70; <New Latin ōvālis, equivalent to Latin ōv(um) egg1 + -ālis-al1

Other words from oval

  • o·val·ly, adverb
  • o·val·ness, noun
  • half-oval, adjective, noun
  • pseu·do·o·val, adjective
  • pseu·do·o·val·ly, adverb
  • sem·i·o·val, adjective
  • sem·i·o·val·ly, adverb
  • sem·i·o·val·ness, noun

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

How to use oval in a sentence

  • Their ovalness or "ellipticity" is, however, in each case not by any means of the same degree.

    Astronomy of To-day | Cecil G. Dolmage
  • To put it paradoxically, it is an ellipse which has no ellipticity, an oval without any ovalness!

    Astronomy of To-day | Cecil G. Dolmage

British Dictionary definitions for oval (1 of 2)

oval

/ (ˈəʊvəl) /


adjective
  1. having the shape of an ellipse or ellipsoid

noun
  1. anything that is oval in shape, such as a sports ground

Origin of oval

1
C16: from Medieval Latin ōvālis, from Latin ōvum egg

Derived forms of oval

  • ovally, adverb
  • ovalness or ovality (əʊˈvælɪtɪ), noun

British Dictionary definitions for Oval (2 of 2)

Oval

/ (ˈəʊvəl) /


noun
  1. the Oval a cricket ground in south London, in the borough of Lambeth

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