Fromelliptic +-al, fromAncient Greekἐλλειπτικός(elleiptikós), fromἐλλείπω(elleípō,“I leave out, omit”).
elliptical (comparativemoreelliptical,superlativemostelliptical)
- In a shape of, or reminding of, anellipse;oval.
1876, “Chapter XIX”, in Edward Roth, transl.,All Around the Moon:Having admitted that the projectile was describing an orbit around the moon, this orbit must necessarily beelliptical; science proves that it must be so.
- Of, or showingellipsis; having a word or words omitted.
1940,Edmund Wilson,To the Finland Station:If he is sometimeselliptical and obscure, it is because he has so much to tell us.
- (of speech)Concise,condensed.
1903,Gilbert Keith Chesterton, “Chapter VI”, inRobert Browning:Browning's dark andelliptical mode of speech, like his love of the grotesque, was simply a characteristic of his, a trick of his temperament, and had little or nothing to do with whether what he was expressing was profound or superficial.
early 20th century, O. Henry,The Making of a New Yorker:He was called atramp; but that was only anelliptical way of saying that he was a philosopher, an artist, a traveller, a naturalist and a discoverer.
- (mathematics, rare)Elliptic.
- In botanical usage,elliptic(al) refers only to the general shape of the object (usually aleaf), independently of itsapex ormargin (and sometimes thebase), so that an "elliptic leaf" may very well bepointed at both ends. A three-dimensional elliptical object isellipsoid, while an object that is not a perfectly stretched circle isovoid orobovoid.
elliptical (pluralellipticals)
- (astronomy) Anelliptical galaxy.
- Anelliptical trainer.
