geodesic
[ jee-uh-des-ik, -dee-sik ]
/ ˌdʒi əˈdɛs ɪk, -ˈdi sɪk /
Save This Word!
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
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Words nearby geodesic
geocode, geocorona, geod., geode, geodemographics, geodesic, geodesic dome, geodesic line, geodesy, geodetic, geodetic latitude
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for geodesic
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
Scientific 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.