geodesic

[ jee-uh-des-ik, -dee-sik ]

adjective
  1. 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.

Origin of geodesic

1
From the French word géodésique, dating back to 1815–25. See geodesy, -ic

Words Nearby geodesic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use geodesic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for geodesic

geodesic

/ (ˌdʒiːəʊˈdɛsɪk, -ˈdiː-) /


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

noun
  1. 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-dĕsĭk, -dēsĭk ]


Noun
  1. 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
  1. 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.