Showing results for prolate. Search instead for subprolate.

prolate

American

[proh-layt] / ˈproʊ leɪt /

adjective

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

prolate British

/ ˈprəʊleɪt /

adjective

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of prolate

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

prolate

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

Write the equation of the prolate spheroid centered at the origin that describes the shape of one of the magnets.

From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016

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

From Washington Times ● Dec. 2, 2015

The prolate spheroid will not land identically, and it is this randomness that keeps the coders at EA Sports up at night.

From Time ● Jan. 29, 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

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023