ogive

[ oh-jahyv, oh-jahyv ]

/ ˈoʊ dʒaɪv, oʊˈdʒaɪv /

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noun

Architecture.

a diagonal vaulting rib.
a pointed arch.

Statistics. the distribution curve of a frequency distribution.

Rocketry. the curved nose of a missile or rocket.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of ogive

1605–15; <French, Middle French ogive, augive<Spanish aljibe<Spanish Arabic al-jibb the well

Words nearby ogive

ogee arch, Ogeechee, Ogen melon, ogham, Ogilvie, ogive, Oglala, ogle, Oglethorpe, Ogma, Ogmios

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ogive in a sentence

This arch, a natural ogive, fashioned by the waves, was glittering between its two dark and profound supports.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo
The first floor of the donjon, lighted by a long ogive window, formed a large circular hall.
The Iron Trevet or Jocelyn the Champion|Eugne Sue
The ogive is, perhaps, very ancient; and authors dispute as to the anteriority of the Romanesque to the Gothic.
Bouvard and Pcuchet|Gustave Flaubert
The circular arch reigns throughout, but many in ogive also occur in different parts.
Barn and the Pyrenees|Louisa Stuart Costello

The curves of the commonplace arcade became those of the graceful ogive, or of the proud, far-extending arch.
The Life of Mohammad|Etienne Dinet

British Dictionary definitions for ogive

ogive

/ (ˈəʊdʒaɪv, əʊˈdʒaɪv) /

noun

a diagonal rib or groin of a Gothic vault

another name for lancet arch

statistics a graph the ordinates of which represent cumulative frequencies of the values indicated by the corresponding abscissas

the conical head of a missile or rocket that protects the payload during its passage through the atmosphere

Derived forms of ogive

ogival, adjective

Word Origin for ogive

C17: from Old French, of uncertain origin

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