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asymptote

[ as-im-toht ]
/ ˈæs ɪmˌtoʊt /

noun Mathematics.

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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Words nearby asymptote

asymmetric warfare, asymmetrical, asymmetrical warfare, asymmetry, asymptomatic, asymptote, asymptotic, asymptotic freedom, asynapsis, asynchronism, asynchronous

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)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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British Dictionary definitions for asymptote

asymptote
/ (ˈæsɪmˌtəʊt) /

noun

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

Word Origin for asymptote

C17: from Greek asumptōtos not falling together, from a- 1 + syn- + ptōtos inclined to fall, from piptein to fall
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 asymptote

asymptote
[ ăs′ĭm-tōt′ ]

A line whose distance to a given curve tends to zero. An asymptote may or may not intersect its associated curve.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.