lemniscate

[ lem-nis-kit, lem-nis-keyt, -kit ]

/ lɛmˈnɪs kɪt, ˈlɛm nɪsˌkeɪt, -kɪt /

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noun Analytic Geometry.

a plane curve generated by the locus of the point at which a variable tangent to a rectangular hyperbola intersects a perpendicular from the center to the tangent. Equation: r2 = 2a2cosθ.

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Also called Bernoulli's lemniscate.

Origin of lemniscate

First recorded in 1775–85, lemniscate is from the Latin word lēmniscātus adorned with ribbons. See lemniscus, -ate¹

Words nearby lemniscate

lemming, Lemminkäinen, lemmoblast, lemmocyte, Lemnian, lemniscate, lemniscus, Lemnitzer, Lemnos, lemon, lemonade

British Dictionary definitions for lemniscate

lemniscate

/ (ˈlɛmnɪskɪt) /

noun

a closed plane curve consisting of two symmetrical loops meeting at a node. Equation: (x ² + y ²)² = a ²(x ² – y ²), where a is the greatest distance from the curve to the origin. The symbol for infinity (∞) is an example

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