elliptical

[ih-lip-ti-kuh l]

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adjective Also el·lip·tic.

pertaining to or having the form of an ellipse.

pertaining to or marked by grammatical ellipsis.

(of speech or writing) expressed with extreme or excessive economy; relieved of irrelevant matter: to converse in elliptical sentences.

(of a style of speaking or writing) tending to be ambiguous, cryptic, or obscure: an elliptical prose that is difficult to translate.

noun

Astronomy. elliptical galaxy.

Nearby words

Origin of elliptical

1650–60; < Greek elleiptik(ós) defective (see ellipsis, -tic) + -al¹

Related forms

el·lip·ti·cal·ness, nounnon·el·lip·tic, adjectivenon·el·lip·ti·cal, adjectivenon·el·lip·ti·cal·ly, adverb

o·ver·el·lip·ti·cal, adjectiveo·ver·el·lip·ti·cal·ly, adverbsub·el·lip·tic, adjectivesub·el·lip·ti·cal, adjectiveun·el·lip·ti·cal, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for elliptic

The fourth glume is nearly half or a little more than half of the third glume, narrower, paleate; palea is elliptic.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses|Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
In the solution the value of an elliptic function is found by means of the arithmetico-geometrical mean.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5|Various
His speech is elliptic till you see his finger pointing at them.
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. I|George Adam Smith
The arch of the entrance doorway in the south wall is elliptic in form.
Scottish Cathedrals and Abbeys|Dugald Butler and Herbert Story

The leaves are elliptic, acuminate, and marked with three longitudinal nerves.
The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom|P. L. Simmonds

British Dictionary definitions for elliptic

elliptical

adjective

relating to or having the shape of an ellipse

relating to or resulting from ellipsis

(of speech, literary style, etc)

very condensed or concise, often so as to be obscure or ambiguous
circumlocutory or long-winded

Also (for senses 1, 2): elliptic

Derived Formselliptically, adverbellipticalness, noun

usage

The use of elliptical to mean circumlocutory should be avoided as it may be interpreted wrongly as meaning condensed or concise

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

Word Origin and History for elliptic

elliptic

adj.

1726, from Greek elleiptikos "pertaining to an ellipse," from elleipein (see ellipsis).

elliptical

adj.

1650s, "elliptic in shape;" see elliptic + -al (1). Grammatical sense of "missing essential words or phrases" is recorded from 1778 (see ellipsis). Related: Elliptically.