Elliptic

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Elliptic \El*lip"tic\, Elliptical \El*lip"tic*al\, a. [Gr. ?:
     cf. F. elliptique. See {Ellipsis}.]
     1. Of or pertaining to an ellipse; having the form of an
        ellipse; oblong, with rounded ends.
        [1913 Webster]
  


              The planets move in elliptic orbits.  --Cheyne.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The billiard sharp who any one catches,
              His doom's extremely hard 
              He's made to dwell
              In a dungeon cell
              On a spot that's always barred.
              And there he plays extravagant matches
              In fitless finger-stalls
              On a cloth untrue
              With a twisted cue
              And elliptical billiard balls!
                                                    --Gilbert and
                                                    Sullivan (The
                                                    Mikado: The
                                                    More Humane
                                                    Mikado Song)
  
     2. Having a part omitted; as, an elliptical phrase.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. leaving out information essential to comprehension; so
        concise as to be difficult to understand; obscure or
        ambiguous; -- of speech or writing; as, an elliptical
        comment.
        [PJC]
  
     {Elliptic chuck}. See under {Chuck}.
  
     {Elliptic compasses}, an instrument arranged for drawing
        ellipses.
  
     {Elliptic function}. (Math.) See {Function}.
  
     {Elliptic integral}. (Math.) See {Integral}.
  
     {Elliptic polarization}. See under {Polarization}.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  elliptic
       adj 1: containing or characterized by ellipsis; "the clause of
              comparison is often elliptical"- G.O.Curme [syn: {elliptical}]
       2: of a leaf shape; in the form of an ellipse
       3: rounded like an egg [syn: {egg-shaped}, {elliptical}, {oval},
           {ovate}, {oviform}, {ovoid}, {prolate}]
       4: characterized by extreme economy of expression or omission
          of superfluous elements; "the dialogue is elliptic and
          full of dark hints"; "the explanation was concise, even
          elliptical to the verge of obscurity"- H.O.Taylor [syn: {elliptical}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  72 Moby Thesaurus words for "elliptic":
     Spartan, abbreviated, abridged, abstracted, aposiopestic,
     bell-like, bell-shaped, bobbed, brief, brusque, campaniform,
     campanular, campanulate, capsule, capsulized, clipped, close,
     compact, compendious, compressed, concise, condensed, contracted,
     crisp, cropped, curt, curtailed, cut, cut short, digested, docked,
     elided, ellipsoid, elliptical, elongated, epigrammatic, gnomic,
     laconic, mowed, mown, nipped, oblong, oblongated, oblongitudinal,
     parabolic, pithy, pointed, pollard, polled, pruned, reaped,
     rectangular, reserved, saucer-shaped, sententious, shaved, sheared,
     short, short and sweet, short-cut, shortened, snub, snubbed,
     succinct, summary, synopsized, taciturn, terse, tight,
     to the point, trimmed, truncated