definitions
  • synonyms

geodesic

[ jee-uh-des-ik, -dee-sik ]
/ ˌdʒi əˈdɛs ɪk, -ˈdi sɪk /
|

adjective

Also ge·o·des·i·cal. pertaining to the geometry of curved surfaces, in which geodesic lines take the place of the straight lines of plane geometry.

noun

geodesic line.

Nearby words

geocode, geocorona, geod., geode, geodemographics, geodesic, geodesic dome, geodesic line, geodesy, geodetic, geodetic latitude

Origin of geodesic

From the French word géodésique, dating back to 1815–25. See geodesy, -ic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for geodesic

  • The world line of a ray of light is a geodesic in the continuum.

    Astounding Stories, March, 1931|Various

  • His experiments on the pendulum and Geodesic surveys rendered him famous.

    The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for geodesic

geodesic

/ (ˌdʒiːəʊˈdɛsɪk, -ˈdiː-) /

adjective

Also: geodetic, geodesical relating to or involving the geometry of curved surfaces

noun

Also called: geodesic line the shortest line between two points on a curved or plane surface
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 geodesic

geodesic

adj.

1821, from geodesy "surveying" + -ic. Alternative adjective form geodetic is from 1834; geodetical is from c.1600. Geodesic dome attested from 1953.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Science definitions for geodesic

geodesic

[ jē′ə-dĕs′ĭk, -dē′sĭk ]

Noun

A curve that locally minimizes the distance between two points on any mathematically defined space, such as a curved manifold. Equivalently, it is a path of minimal curvature. In noncurved three-dimensional space, the geodesic is a straight line. In General Relativity, the trajectory of a body with negligible mass on which only gravitational forces are acting (i.e. a free falling body) is a geodesic in (curved) 4-dimensional space-time.

Adjective

Of or relating to the branch of geometry that deals with geodesics.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.