kurtosis

[ kur-toh-sis ]

/ kɜrˈtoʊ sɪs /

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noun Statistics.

the state or quality of flatness or peakedness of the curve describing a frequency distribution in the region about its mode.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of kurtosis

1900–05; irregular transliteration of Greek kýrtōsis curvature. See cyrtosis

Words nearby kurtosis

kurrajong, kursaal, Kursk, Kurt, kurta, kurtosis, kuru, Kurukh, Kurume, Kurunegala, kurus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for kurtosis

kurtosis

/ (kəˈtəʊsɪs) /

noun

statistics a measure of the concentration of a distribution around its mean, esp the statistic B 2 = m 4 / m 2 ² where m 2 and m 4 are respectively the second and fourth moment of the distribution around the mean. In a normal distribution B 2 = 3See also platykurtic, mesokurtic, leptokurtic Compare skewness

Word Origin for kurtosis

from Greek: curvature, from kurtos arched

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 kurtosis

kurtosis

[ kər-tō′sĭs ]

The general form or a quantity indicative of the general form of a statistical frequency curve near the mean of the distribution.