spheroid

[ sfeer-oid ]

/ ˈsfɪər ɔɪd /

Geometry

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spheroid ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a solid geometrical figure similar in shape to a sphere, as an ellipsoid.

adjective

spheroidal.

Nearby words

spherics, sphero-, spherocyte, spherocytic anemia, spherocytosis, spheroid, spheroidal, spheroidicity, spherometer, spherophakia, spheroplast

Origin of spheroid

1655–65; < Latin sphaeroīdēs < Greek sphairoeidḗs. See sphere, -oid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spheroid

But now suppose that instead of such a spheroid, we assume one of, say, twenty or thirty times the mass; what will then happen?
Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative, Vol. I|Herbert Spencer
A sphere cut from a uniaxial crystal at one temperature will be a spheroid at another temperature.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7|Various
A sphere attracts as if its mass were concentrated at its centre (No. 12), but a spheroid does not.
Pioneers of Science|Oliver Lodge
Perhaps then, our spheroid will rest—will be left to death—to revive some day under superior conditions!
The Mysterious Island|Jules Verne

Having now stated the data of the problem, we may seek that oblate ellipsoid (spheroid) which best represents the observations.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 9|Various

British Dictionary definitions for spheroid

spheroid

/ (ˈsfɪərɔɪd) /

noun

maths another name for ellipsoid of revolution

adjective

shaped like but not exactly a sphere

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

Medicine definitions for spheroid

spheroid

[ sfîr′oid′, sfĕr′- ]

adj.

Having a generally spherical shape.

Related forms

spher′oid′ n.

Science definitions for spheroid

spheroid

[ sfîr′oid′ ]

A three-dimensional geometric surface generated by rotating an ellipse on or about one of its axes.