saddle point

noun

, Mathematics.

1. a point at which a function of two variables has partial derivatives equal to zero but at which the function has neither a maximum nor a minimum value.

Word History and Origins

Origin of saddle point¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

We had rounded Saddle Point, a prominent headland, which shut off from us temporarily the violence of the gale.

From Project Gutenberg