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ellipses

  • plural
    of ellipse.
    ellipse
    noun
    a plane curve such that the sums of the distances of each point in its periphery from two fixed points, the foci, are equal. It is a conic section formed by the intersection of a right circular cone by a plane that cuts the axis and the surface of the cone. Typical equation: (x 2 / a2 ) + (y 2 / b2 ) = 1. If a = b the ellipse is a circle.
  • plural
    of ellipsis.
    ellipsis

Example Sentences

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Her sentences end not in periods but in ellipses.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 4, 2024

Known by his colleagues as the “poet of iron,” Serra became world-renowned for his large-scale steel structures, such as monumental arcs, spirals and ellipses.

From Seattle Times Mar. 26, 2024

In the simulations the researchers observed ellipses, triangles and squares.

From Science Daily Oct. 23, 2023

The opening draws you right in with its destabilizing jump cuts, controlled freneticism, narrative ellipses and oddball swerves — cut to a fog-wreathed discussion about insomnia — which creates an inviting ambiguity.

From New York Times Oct. 13, 2022

Eventually the detailed observations of the apparent motion of the planets forced him to abandon the idea of circular paths and to realize that planets travel in ellipses.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan