concave

[ adjective, verb kon-keyv, kon-keyv; noun kon-keyv ]
See synonyms for: concaveconcavedconcavesconcaving on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. curved like a segment of the interior of a circle or hollow sphere; hollow and curved.: Compare convex (def. 1).

  2. Geometry. (of a polygon) having at least one interior angle greater than 180°.

  1. Obsolete. hollow.

noun
  1. a concave surface, part, line, or thing.

  2. Machinery. a concave piece, as one against which a drum rotates.

verb (used with object),con·caved, con·cav·ing.
  1. to make concave.

Origin of concave

1
1375–1425; late Middle English (<Middle French ) <Latin concavus, hollow. See con-, cave

Other words from concave

  • con·cave·ly, adverb
  • con·cave·ness, noun
  • sub·con·cave, adjective
  • sub·con·cave·ly, adverb
  • sub·con·cave·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use concave in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for concave

concave

/ (ˈkɒnkeɪv, kɒnˈkeɪv) /


adjective
  1. curving inwards

  2. physics having one or two surfaces curved or ground in the shape of a section of the interior of a sphere, paraboloid, etc: a concave lens

  1. maths (of a polygon) containing an interior angle greater than 180°

  2. an obsolete word for hollow

verb
  1. (tr) to make concave

Origin of concave

1
C15: from Latin concavus arched, from cavus hollow

Derived forms of concave

  • concavely, adverb
  • concaveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for concave

concave

[ kŏnkāv′ ]


  1. Curved inward, like the inside of a circle or sphere.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.