1. Of or pertaining to an ellipse; having the form of an ellipse; oblong, with rounded ends. The planets move in elliptic orbits. Cheyne.
2. Having a part omitted; as, an elliptical phrase. 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.
ELLIPTICALLY
El*lip"tic*al*ly, adv.
1. In the form of an ellipse.
2. With a part omitted; as, elliptically expressed.
ELLIPTICITY
El`lip*tic"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. ellipticité.]
Defn: Deviation of an ellipse or a spheroid from the form of a circle or a sphere; especially, in reference to the figure of the earth, the difference between the equatorial and polar semidiameters, divided by the equatorial; thus, the ellipticity of the earth is
Note: Some writers use ellipticity as the ratio of the difference of the two semiaxes to the minor axis, instead of the major. Nichol.
ELLIPTIC-LANCEOLATE
El*lip"tic-lan"ce*o*late, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a form intermediate between elliptic and lanceolate.