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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

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

See Examples For:

The segment connecting the vertices is called the major axis.

From Textbooks May 6, 2020

Determine whether the major axis is horizontal or vertical.

From Textbooks May 6, 2020

When b > a, the major axis is vertical so the distance from the center to the vertex is b.

From Textbooks May 6, 2020

Next, we determine the position of the major axis.

From Textbooks Feb. 13, 2015

That is, the major axis of the Americas is north-south.

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

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