prolate

American  

[proh-leyt] / ˈproʊ leɪt /

adjective

1. elongated along the polar diameter, as a spheroid generated by the revolution of an ellipse about its longer axis (opposed to oblate).

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prolate British  

/ ˈprəʊleɪt /

adjective

1. having a polar diameter of greater length than the equatorial diameter Compare oblate 1

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Other Word Forms

• prolately adverb
• prolateness noun

Etymology

Origin of prolate

1685–95; < Latin prōlātus, past participle of prōferre to bring forward, extend; see pro- ¹, oblate ¹

Example Sentences

The embankments rose like the prolate rock formations in Chinese scroll paintings, massive looming shapes half lost to fog.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 22, 2019

Texas, West Texas and Texas Tech surely reserve their foremost excitement for when the ball is a prolate spheroid.

From Washington Post • Apr. 5, 2019

The eye cornea is approximated as a prolate spheroid with an axis that is the eye, where a = 8.7 mm and c = 9.6 mm.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

The only thing more unpredictable is fans of the prolate spheroid.

From Washington Times • Dec. 2, 2015

The crucial dispute between Cartesians and Newtonians was over the shape of the Earth: Newton predicted an oblate ellipsoid, or flattened, Earth, while the Cartesians had predicted a prolate ellipsoid, or egg-shaped, Earth.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton