kurtosis

noun

kur·​to·​sis (ˌ)kər-ˈtō-səs 

: the peakedness or flatness of the graph of a frequency distribution especially with respect to the concentration of values near the mean as compared with the normal distribution

Examples of kurtosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Stephanov’s predictions show that a key measure called kurtosis should dip, rise above its baseline, then fall again. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025

For a coin toss with probability of success p, the skewness and kurtosis both go to infinity when the probability of success is very low. — Vineer Bhansali, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Greek kyrtōsis convexity, from kyrtos convex — more at curve entry 3

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kurtosis

• cirrhosis
• fibrosis
• gliosis
• hypnosis
• ichthyosis
• ketosis
• lordosis
• meiosis
• miosis
• mitosis
• mycosis
• narcosis