elliptical

adjective el·lip·ti·cal \ i-ˈlip-ti-kəl , e- \

variants: or elliptic play \i-ˈlip-tik, e-\

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of elliptical

1 : of, relating to, or shaped like an ellipse

2 a : of, relating to, or marked by ellipsis or an ellipsis

b (1) : of, relating to, or marked by extreme economy of speech or writing

(2) : of or relating to deliberate obscurity (as of literary or conversational style)

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elliptically

play \i-ˈlip-ti-k(ə-)lē, e-\ adverb

See elliptical defined for English-language learners

Examples of elliptical in a Sentence

The moon follows an elliptical path around the Earth.
a writer with an elliptical style

Recent Examples of elliptical from the Web

The spacecraft will be in a super elliptical orbit around Earth that will bring the probe as far out as the distance of the Moon.

— loren grush, The Verge, "NASA’s newest spacecraft will scour the galaxy for undiscovered planets," 12 Apr. 2018
Inside the long elliptical tunnel that runs through PNC Park, after a 5-2 to the Pirates on Thursday, Hughes stands outside the visitor's clubhouse and talks to a young boy.

— adam baum, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jared Hughes: 'I feel like everywhere I play I make friends'," 6 Apr. 2018
Eighteen days after Stanley was born, Jorgensen went to the gym to attempt a workout on the elliptical.

— megan michelson, Outside Online, "How Elite Athletes Come Back After Childbirth," 28 Mar. 2018
Charles Davis, an NFL Network analyst, pumps on the elliptical.

— jonathan jones, SI.com, "24 Hours ... At the NFL Scouting Combine," 8 Mar. 2018
The new probe will take about 60 days to attain its highly elliptical, first-of-a-kind orbit that will loop TESS between Earth and the moon every two and a half weeks.

— steve gorman, The Christian Science Monitor, "NASA continues exploration of unknown planets orbiting stars outside our solar system," 29 Mar. 2018
Back in Chicago, Kris Dunn exercised on an elliptical machine in his walking boot Saturday, which should say plenty about whether the second-year guard wants to salvage any of the remaining nine games.

— k.c. johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine will make road trip with Bulls," 24 Mar. 2018
The satellite was placed in a highly elliptical orbit, with its closest approach to Earth occurring over the South Pole.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "NASA confirms: Its undead satellite is operational," 8 Feb. 2018
In a video posted on her Twitter on Monday, the SNL star was once again decked out in red, white and blue attire, while riding an elliptical.

— lexy perez, The Hollywood Reporter, "Leslie Jones Contributing to NBC's Winter Olympics Coverage," 30 Jan. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of elliptical

Greek elleiptikos defective, marked by ellipsis, from elleipein

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1656

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

elliptical Synonyms

elliptical

noun

Definition of elliptical

plural ellipticals

1 : elliptical galaxy

In Hubble's scheme, galaxies are divided into ellipticals and spirals.
—Roberto G. Abraham et al.

2 : elliptical trainer

Ellipticals move in a smooth, oval motion, like riding a bike standing up, and offer great features like your beloved treadmill.
—Monique Savin

Recent Examples of elliptical from the Web

Cardio: Life Fitness and Woodway treadmills, ellipticals, and steppers. 2.

— katy schneider, The Cut, "Teyana Taylor’s Nail Salon, a New Gym From Chelsea Piers, and High-Design Seder Plates," 18 Mar. 2018
At the Sears in Fair Oaks Mall - which is now about 78,000 square feet, down from 145,000 square feet - dozens of ellipticals and treadmills were on display, as were hundreds of appliances, many of them wrapped in festive red bows.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Will the rapidly-shrinking store save retail?," 26 Dec. 2017
Technogym will also be building GymKit into all of its treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, and stairsteppers in the future.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Everything you need to know about Apple’s GymKit, now out in the US," 13 Dec. 2017
For now, GymKit will only work with cardio machines like treadmills, ellipticals, indoor bikes, and stair-steppers from companies like Life Fitness, Technogym, Matrix, and Star Trac among others.

— Time, "Your Apple Watch is About to Become More Useful at the Gym," 12 Dec. 2017
The clubs will feature a variety of exercise equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, Arc trainers and stationary bikes — all pointed at 70-inch TVs.

— joyce smith, kansascity, "Planet Fitness is opening two more area locations," 12 Oct. 2017
The watch will be able to share information such as heart rate with treadmills, ellipticals, and more.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "What to expect from Apple’s September 12 event," 8 Sep. 2017
Stephen Cheuk is not your average trainer, and his gym is far from your average amalgamation of ellipticals whirring under fluorescent lighting.

— Daily Intelligencer, "The Inspiring Spaces of Highly Effective People," 21 Aug. 2017
Colleagues chimed in to say the images looked like ellipticals and spirals—familiar species of galaxies.

— science news staff, Science | AAAS, "AI is changing how we do science. Get a glimpse," 5 July 2017