ellipse
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.el·lipse
noun \i-ˈlips, e-\Definition of ELLIPSE
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 curve
2
: ellipsis
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Origin of ELLIPSE
Greek elleipsis
First Known Use: circa 1753
Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms
ellipse
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)Closed curve, one of the conic sections of analytic geometry, consisting of all points whose distances from each of two fixed points (foci) add up to the same value. The midpoint between the foci is the center. One property of an ellipse is that the reflection off its boundary of a line from one focus will pass through the other. In an elliptical room, a person whispering at one focus is easily heard by someone at the other. An oval may or may not fit the definition of an ellipse.
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