great circle

noun

1. a circle on a spherical surface such that the plane containing the circle passes through the center of the sphere.

2. a circle of which a segment represents the shortest distance between two points on the surface of the earth.

great circle

noun

1. a circular section of a sphere that has a radius equal to that of the sphere Compare small circle

great circle

1. A circle on the surface of a sphere whose plane passes through the center of the sphere. The Earth's equator is a great circle on the sphere of the globe.

Word History and Origins

Origin of great circle¹

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

Since the earth is a sphere, the shortest path between two points is expressed by the great circle distance, which corresponds to an arc linking two points on a sphere.

Read more on BBC

He credits his routine of helping keep him up along with a great circle of support, having heard from hundreds of people since his mother died.

Read more on Seattle Times

“The great circle in the sky,” as Brandt calls it, may be a region just beyond the heliopause where ions snared in a magnetic field spawn ENAs.

Read more on Science Magazine

These sites were planned on the image of a great circle — or series of circles — of houses, with nobody first, nobody last, divided into districts with assembly buildings for public meetings.

Read more on New York Times

A cold wind had risen, swirling the leaves in great circles above their heads.

Read more on Literature