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major axis

American

noun

Mathematics.

the axis of an ellipse that passes through the two foci.

major axis British

noun

the longer or longest axis of an ellipse or ellipsoid

"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

Etymology

Origin of major axis

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The widest diameter of the ellipse is called its major axis.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

The distance 2a is called the major axis of the ellipse.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

The ratio of the distance between the foci to the length of the major axis is called the eccentricity of the ellipse.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

In the equation on the left, the major axis of the conic section is horizontal, and in the equation on the right, the major axis is vertical.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

Its east—west major axis permitted many inventions adopted in one part of Eurasia to spread relatively rapidly to societies at similar latitudes and climates elsewhere in Eurasia.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023