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major axis

American  

noun

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


major axis British  

noun

  1. 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

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See Examples For:

The segment connecting the vertices is called the major axis.

From Textbooks May 6, 2020

If the major axis of an ellipse is 16 cm, what is the semimajor axis?

From Textbooks Oct. 13, 2016

The major axis of the orbit of a planet, such as Mercury, rotates in space slightly because of various perturbations.

From Textbooks Oct. 13, 2016

Because the major axis is parallel to the x-axis.

From Textbooks Feb. 13, 2015

Eurasia’s east-west major axis, unlike the Americas’ north-south major axis, permitted diffusion without change in latitude and associated environmental variables.

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

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