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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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Not to give anything away, but anyone who’s survived their youth will understand that the title is ironic — or, with Blume’s ellipses, reattached for the title of the final episode, at least inconclusive.

From Los Angeles Times May 8, 2025

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

I lost myself in the rhythm of the strokes, my arms tracing long ellipses in the air as if pulling something toward me that refused to come.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs