cusp
a point that marks the beginning of a change: Our nation is on the cusp of a new era.Some of our machines are now getting very old and are on the cusp of being replaced.
a point or pointed end: The sharp cusp of the mountain pierced through the thick clouds.
Anatomy, Zoology, Botany. a point, projection, or elevation, as on the crown of a tooth.
Also called spinode. Geometry. a point where two branches of a curve meet, end, and are tangent.
Architecture. a decorative device consisting of a pair of curves that are tangent to a real or imaginary line defining the area being decorated, and meet at a point within that area: used especially in Gothic architecture to vary the outlines of intrados or to form architectural foils.
Astronomy. a point of a crescent, especially of the moon.
Astrology.
the zodiacal degree that marks the separation between consecutive houses or signs: Those born on the Cancer/Leo cusp have the vitality and ambition to be successful in their creative endeavors.
Informal. a person born during a time when the sun is at the very end of one sign or at the very beginning of another: Virgos and Virgo cusps tend to be shy and somewhat nervous, and they may be undemonstrative.I'm an Aries/Pisces cusp with Capricorn rising.
Origin of cusp
1Other words from cusp
- cusp·al, adjective
Words Nearby cusp
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cusp in a sentence
The People’s Bank of China is on the cusp of launching a digital yuan, which many believe will help China weaken the influence of the greenback in global trade.
Here’s how confident Jeff Sprecher is that he’s on the cusp of transforming the lengthy, paper-heavy slog of getting a home loan into a fully digitized snap.
First he took energy trading and the NYSE electronic. Now Jeff Sprecher of ICE shares his plans to digitize your mortgage | Shawn Tully | September 2, 2020 | FortuneThe 2020 college football season is looking less and less likely, with Power Five conferences reportedly on the cusp of calling off or at least postponing fall sports.
Notre Dame Didn’t Want To Join A Conference. But The ACC Could Have Helped It Win. | Jake Lourim | August 10, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightCurie was also on the cusp of announcing that it had struck some deals with fitness studios to carry its deodorant.
As headwinds emerge, DTC brands bet on early growth to carry them through the rest of the year | Anna Hensel | July 27, 2020 | DigidayUnlike most well-known auroras, the cusp type can be seen midday.
Newfound ‘dunes’ is among weirdest of northern lights | Maria Temming | March 9, 2020 | Science News For Students
The novel is a near perfect portrayal of the emotions of a young girl on the cusp of womanhood.
These Female Contemporaries Weren’t Afraid of Virginia Woolf | Louisa Treger | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFrance, and indeed Europe, was on the cusp of a new kind of living where governments needed to be efficient.
As the Daily Beast reported earlier this week, Pippa Middleton is on the cusp of signing a deal to be a special reporter for NBC.
These new cases, both real and merely suspected, are coming right as we approach the cusp of influenza season.
Parents’ Ebola Panic Is Taking Over My Clinic | Russell Saunders | October 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“I always read him as an older kind of a guy on the cusp of finishing school and finding a job,” he said.
Why 'The Giver' Movie Will Disappoint the Book's Fans | Kevin Fallon | August 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe specimens from Honduras have a basal cusp on the hinder edge of the lower canine.
A Synopsis of the American Bats of the Genus Pipistrellus | Walter W. DalquestThe pierced cusp gives a peculiar lightness and brilliancy to the window, but is not so sublime.
The Stones of Venice, Volume III (of 3) | John RuskinIn every other case the form of the aperture is determined, either by a flat and solid cusp as in 6, or by a pierced cusp as in 4.
The Stones of Venice, Volume III (of 3) | John RuskinII.; and its derivation from the solid cusp will be understood, at once, from the woodcut Fig.
The Stones of Venice, Volume III (of 3) | John RuskinThe ornaments of the cusp might thus be worked without any troublesome reference to the rest of the arch.
The Stones of Venice, Volume I (of 3) | John Ruskin
British Dictionary definitions for cusp
/ (kʌsp) /
any of the small elevations on the grinding or chewing surface of a tooth
any of the triangular flaps of a heart valve
a point or pointed end
Also called: spinode geometry a point at which two arcs of a curve intersect and at which the two tangents are coincident
architect a carving at the meeting place of two arcs
astronomy either of the points of a crescent moon or of a satellite or inferior planet in a similar phase
astrology any division between houses or signs of the zodiac
Origin of cusp
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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