witch of Agnesi

witch of Agnesi


witch of Ag·ne·si    Audio Help   (än-yā'zē)   

n.   A planar cubic curve that is symmetric about the y-axis and that approaches the x-axis as an asymptote. Its equation is x2y = 4a2(2a - y), where a is a constant.

[witch (translation of Italian avversiera, versiera, confused with versiera, curve, turning, from New Latin versōria, from Latin versus, turned, reversed, past participle of vertere, to turn; see verse1) + Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718-1799), Italian mathematician.]
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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