asymptote

American  

[as-im-toht] / ˈæs ɪmˌtoʊt /

noun

Mathematics.

1. a straight line approached by a given curve as one of the variables in the equation of the curve approaches infinity.

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asymptote British  

/ ˈæsɪmˌtəʊt /

noun

1. a straight line that is closely approached by a plane curve so that the perpendicular distance between them decreases to zero as the distance from the origin increases to infinity

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asymptote Scientific  

/ ăs′ĭm-tōt′ /

1. A line whose distance to a given curve tends to zero. An asymptote may or may not intersect its associated curve.

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Etymology

Origin of asymptote

1650–60; < Greek asýmptōtos, equivalent to a- a- ⁶ + sýmptōtos falling together ( sym- sym- + ptōtós falling, derivative of ptō-, variant stem of píptein to fall + -tos verbid suffix)

Explanation

In geometry, an asymptote of a curve is a straight line that gets closer and closer but never touches the curve. An asymptote is sometimes called a tangent. This is a term you're most likely to come across in math class. An asymptote is a straight line, but specifically one that approaches or nears a curve but never meets it. The noun asymptote has been a geometry term since the 1600's, and it comes from the Greek root asymptotos, or "not falling together," which combines a, "not," syn, "with," and ptotos, "fallen."

Example Sentences

“To me there’s a very clear distinction between autofiction and autobiography,” he told the magazine Asymptote.

From The Guardian • Jun. 23, 2018

The journal is called Asymptote, a word that Rose defines as “a line that tries to be a curve but never quite gets there.”

From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2015

One thing Asymptote has not developed is a recognizable style, although it's fluid in most of the current "isms."

From Time Magazine Archive

When a corporation--say, the New York Stock Exchange--has a blue-sky project that no one else seems to understand, Asymptote tends to head the to-call list.

From Time Magazine Archive

Asymptote, a line always approaching some curve but never meeting it.

From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by Nuttall, P. Austin