catenary
noun
cat·e·nary
ˈka-tə-ˌner-ē 
-ˌne-rē,
especially British kə-ˈtē-nə-rē
plural catenaries
1
: the curve assumed by a cord of uniform density and cross section that is perfectly flexible but not capable of being stretched and that hangs freely from two fixed points
2
: something in the form of a catenary
catenary
adjective
Examples of catenary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The overhead catenary power lines for all four tracks failed shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday night, a transit source told the Daily News, bringing service on Metro-North’s New Haven Line and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to a halt.
—
Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025
But an overhead catenary costs that much for a quarter mile [0.4 kilometer] of the track.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Dec. 2024
Those same trains could likely reach 150 miles an hour for most of the run to Washington, which is straighter, with a new catenary.
—Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 9 July 2024
Failures of the overhead catenary wires — the power lines that function much like the third rail on a subway — have been a regular occurrence on the rail line in recent months.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 2 Dec. 2024
Second, the drooping power lines increase the risk that the wires get tangled up in the pantographs, the linkages atop of the trains that slide along the catenary and draw power from it.
—Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 9 July 2024
Third, the old catenary limits the speed of trains, even at middling temperatures.
—Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 9 July 2024
While much of the initial track-laying work will take place along the riverfront, crews will eventually need to close down the curving Berkley Parkway bridge twice in order to install tracks and overhead catenary wires along it.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2024
How much of the track and overhead catenary wires will run on the surface, competing for space on thoroughfares with vehicle traffic, and how much will go underground?
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 1 July 2024
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Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025
But an overhead catenary costs that much for a quarter mile [0.4 kilometer] of the track.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Dec. 2024
Those same trains could likely reach 150 miles an hour for most of the run to Washington, which is straighter, with a new catenary.
—Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 9 July 2024
Failures of the overhead catenary wires — the power lines that function much like the third rail on a subway — have been a regular occurrence on the rail line in recent months.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 2 Dec. 2024
Second, the drooping power lines increase the risk that the wires get tangled up in the pantographs, the linkages atop of the trains that slide along the catenary and draw power from it.
—Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 9 July 2024
Third, the old catenary limits the speed of trains, even at middling temperatures.
—Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 9 July 2024
While much of the initial track-laying work will take place along the riverfront, crews will eventually need to close down the curving Berkley Parkway bridge twice in order to install tracks and overhead catenary wires along it.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2024
How much of the track and overhead catenary wires will run on the surface, competing for space on thoroughfares with vehicle traffic, and how much will go underground?
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 1 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Catenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catenary. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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