curvature

noun

cur·va·ture | \ ˈkər-və-ˌchu̇r

, -chər, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌtu̇r\

Definition of curvature

1 : the act of curving : the state of being curved

2 : a measure or amount of curving specifically : the rate of change of the angle through which the tangent to a curve turns in moving along the curve and which for a circle is equal to the reciprocal of the radius

3a : an abnormal curving (as of the spine)

b : a curved surface of an organ

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Examples of curvature in a Sentence

The lenses have different curvatures. the curvature of the earth The machine measures the eyeball's degree of curvature. a disease that can cause curvature of the spine

Recent Examples on the Web

Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light, but since the detectors are so far apart, there should be a slight time lag and a small adjustment in amplitude to account for the curvature of the Earth. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "No more doubts: Two independent studies confirm LIGO’s Nobel discovery," 16 Dec. 2018 A week after her initial post, Kunakey shared a snap of herself poolside in a two piece that played up the curvature of her stomach amidst a sea of palm trees. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "This French Model’s Beach Snaps Are Pregnancy Body Confidence at Its Finest," 1 Feb. 2019 Then, by comparing this measured mass with the measured curvature of space-time, the team found what general relativity predicts for this mass, or galaxy. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, "Einstein Was Right! Scientists Confirm General Relativity Works With Distant Galaxy," 21 June 2018 Designers and engineers waited for his blessing on headlamps and car-body curvatures. — James R. Hagerty, WSJ, "Sergio Marchionne Sweated Small Stuff and Slashed Bureaucracy at Fiat Chrysler," 27 July 2018 The model was so vast that design of the panels had to account for the curvature of the earth. — Nate Berg, Curbed, "Can engineering save Louisiana’s coastline?," 7 Nov. 2018 Besides that enormous display resolution, you’ll be immersed by whatever is on-screen, thanks to the 3800R curvature with 109 pixels-per-inch and 100 percent sRGB support for accurate colors. — Stefan Etienne, The Verge, "Dell unveils the first 49-inch ultra-wide monitor with QHD resolution," 15 Oct. 2018 In addition to measuring the space-time curve, the researchers had to determine the galaxy's mass, because general relativity predicts how much curvature is created by a mass. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, "Einstein Was Right! Scientists Confirm General Relativity Works With Distant Galaxy," 21 June 2018 In 2002, Eugenie was told she had curvature of the spine and would need corrective surgery. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Royal Fans Love How Princess Eugenie's Wedding Dress Shows Off Her Scoliosis Scar," 12 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curvature.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.