Main Entry:

hy·per·bo·la

Pronunciation:

\hī-ˈpər-bə-lə\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural hy·per·bo·las or hy·per·bo·lae \-(ˌ)lē\

Etymology:

New Latin, from Greek hyperbolē

Date:

1668

: a plane curve generated by a point so moving that the difference of the distances from two fixed points is a constant : a curve formed by the intersection of a double right circular cone with a plane that cuts both halves of the cone

[hyperbola illustration]