lemniscate

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

/ lɛmˈnɪs kɪt, ˈlɛm nɪsˌkeɪt, -kɪt /

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.

Nearby words

lemming, lemminkäinen, lemmoblast, lemmocyte, lemnian, lemniscate, lemniscus, lemnitzer, lemnos, lemon, lemon balm

Origin of lemniscate

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

Also called Bernoulli's lemniscate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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