Main Entry:

el·lipse

Pronunciation:

\i-ˈlips, e-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Greek elleipsis

Date:

circa 1753

1 a: oval b: a closed plane curve generated by a point moving in such a way that the sums of its distances from two fixed points is a constant : a plane section of a right circular cone that is a closed curve2: ellipsis

[ellipse illustration]