osculation

American  

[os-kyuh-ley-shuhn] / ˌɒs kyəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of kissing.

2. a kiss.

3. close contact.

4. Geometry. the contact between two osculating curves or the like.

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osculation British  

/ ˌɒskjʊˈleɪʃən, ˈɒskjʊlətərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. Also called: tacnode.  maths a point at which two branches of a curve have a common tangent, each branch extending in both directions of the tangent

2. rare the act or an instance of kissing

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Other Word Forms

• osculatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of osculation

1650–60; < Latin ōsculātiōn- (stem of ōsculātiō ) a kissing, equivalent to ōsculāt ( us ) ( osculate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

You won’t find “come from away” or “screech-in”—a mock ceremony depicted in the musical that confers Newfoundland “citizenship,” featuring extreme drunkenness and the osculation of a raw cod—in the Oxford English Dictionary.

From The New Yorker

One of the play's more memorable exchanges directly engages the all-important subject of theatrical osculation.

From Los Angeles Times

I suppose he was afraid she would have no lips left after such reiterated osculation.

From Project Gutenberg

On the same day I saw “Vanya,” I was treated to a more optimistic act of osculation in the afternoon.

From New York Times

Acts of osculation have of course been known to sweep people off their feet.

From New York Times