minor axis

American

noun

Mathematics.

the axis of an ellipse that is perpendicular to the major axis at a point equidistant from the foci.

minor axis British

noun

the shorter or shortest 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 minor axis

First recorded in 1860–65

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.

Find the endpoints of the minor axis Step 5.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

The minor axis is vertical but the end points aren’t given.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

The transverse axis is also called the major axis, and the conjugate axis is also called the minor axis.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

The minor axis is the shortest distance across the ellipse.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

The marks D D, therefore, indicate the distance across the minor axis in Fig.

From Practical Mechanics for Boys by Zerbe, James Slough

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