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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 result is to make the major axis of Mercury’s orbit rotate slowly in space because of the Sun’s gravity alone.

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

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

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

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

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

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