ogive

American  

[oh-jahyv, oh-jahyv] / ˈoʊ dʒaɪv, oʊˈdʒaɪv /

noun

1. Architecture.

   1. a diagonal vaulting rib.

   2. a pointed arch.

2. Statistics. the distribution curve of a frequency distribution.

3. Rocketry. the curved nose of a missile or rocket.

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ogive British  

/ ˈəʊdʒaɪv, əʊˈdʒaɪv /

noun

1. a diagonal rib or groin of a Gothic vault

2. another name for lancet arch

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

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

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Other Word Forms

• ogival
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ogive

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

Example Sentences

Significantly, the cathedral is a prominent showcase of the Plantagenet Gothic style, incorporating a ceiling of rounded ogive vaults and walls with blind arcades beneath bay windows.

From Washington Post • Nov. 24, 2021

The relentless ogive of growth fascinated Jacques Monod, the French biologist.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The architects heap arcade on arcade, ogive on ogive, pyramid on pyramid, and give to all geometrical symmetry and artistic grace.

From Beacon Lights of History by Lord, John

Acanthus, thistles, ivy, and oak-leaves wind around their caps; between each mitred ogive is a cut-out rose; this gallery is the place where the prisoners take the air.

From Over Strand and Field by Flaubert, Gustave

The architects heap arcade on arcade, ogive on ogive, pyramid on pyramid, and give to all geometrical symmetry and artistic grace....

From Beacon Lights of History, Volume 05 The Middle Ages by Lord, John