latus rectum

[ ley-tuhs rek-tuhm ]

noun,plural la·ter·a rec·ta [ley-ter-uh-rek-tuh]. /ˈleɪ tər ə ˈrɛk tə/. Geometry.
  1. the chord perpendicular to the principal axis and passing through a focus of an ellipse, parabola, or hyperbola.

Origin of latus rectum

1
1695–1705; <New Latin: literally, straight side

Words Nearby latus rectum

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British Dictionary definitions for latus rectum

latus rectum

/ (ˈlɑːtəs ˈrɛktəm) /


nounplural latera recta (ˈlætərə ˈrɛktə)
  1. geometry a chord that passes through the focus of a conic and is perpendicular to the major axis

Origin of latus rectum

1
C18: New Latin: straight side

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