axis of symmetry
Americannoun
-
Mathematics. a straight line for which every point on a given curve has corresponding to it another point such that the line connecting the two points is bisected by the given line.
-
Crystallography. rotation axis.
Etymology
Origin of axis of symmetry
First recorded in 1875–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As the blast expanded and encountered material surrounding the star, the shape grew flatter, although the axis of symmetry stayed consistent.
From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2025
This wobble in Earth’s rotation occurs because the axis around which our planet rotates doesn’t quite line up with its actual geometric axis of symmetry, causing the rotational axis to keep trying to adjust.
From Scientific American • Aug. 19, 2022
Graph each quadratic function using intercepts, the vertex, and the equation of the axis of symmetry.
From Textbooks • May 6, 2020
We show the same two graphs again with the axis of symmetry.
From Textbooks • May 6, 2020
He showed that, provided a stationary rotating black hole had an axis of symmetry, like a spinning top, its size and shape would depend only on its mass and rate of rotation.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
