Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Curved like the inner surface of a sphere.
- noun A concave surface, structure, or line.
- transitive verb To make concave.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To make hollow.
- noun The vault or arch of heaven: as, “the blue concave.”
- noun A playing card so trimmed that it can be separated from others according to the purpose for which the pack was prepared.
- Curved or rounded in the manner of the circumference of a circle or the surface of a sphere when viewed from the center; presenting a hollow or incurvation; incurved; hence, bounded by such a line or surface: as, a concave mirror.
- Hollow; empty.
- noun A hollow; an arch or vault; a concavity.
- noun Any inwardly curved portion of a machine: as, the concave of a thresher (the curved breast in which the cylinder works).
- noun A concave mirror.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A hollow; an arched vault; a cavity; a recess.
- noun (Mech.) A curved sheath or breasting for a revolving cylinder or roll.
- adjective Hollow and curved or rounded; vaulted; -- said of the interior of a curved surface or line, as of the curve of the of the inner surface of an eggshell, in opposition to
convex . - adjective rare Hollow; void of contents.
- transitive verb To make hollow or concave.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
curved like theinner surface of asphere or bowl - noun A concave surface or curve.
- noun The vault of the sky.
- noun One of the celestial
spheres of thePtolemaic orgeocentric model of the world. - noun manufacturing An element of a curved grid used to separate desirable material from tailings or chaff in
mining andharvesting . - noun surfing An indentation running along the base of a
surfboard , intended to increaselift . - noun skateboarding An indented area on the top of a
skateboard , providing a position for foot placement and increasing board strength. - verb To render concave, or increase the degree of
concavity .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective curving inward
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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It flowed in a gentle concave from the road up the mountain, its farther boundary an unbroken line of timber.
CHAPTER XVII 2010
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It flowed in a gentle concave from the road up the mountain, its farther boundary an unbroken line of timber.
Chapter 17 1913
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The last three types, called concave lenses, scatter parallel rays so that they do not come to a focus, but diverge widely after passage through the lens.
General Science Bertha M. Clark
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That surface of the bow which faces the string when drawn into action, that is, the concave arc, is called the belly of the bow.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow Saxton Pope 1900
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It rises in a concave, which is glazed in the same manner as that I described in the house, and like that, defended on the outside from the pecking of birds by a wire net; with the difference, of its being painted green.
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The concave is a little mellower than I prefer riding, but it ran full length so forwards or backwards it still felt like it wanted to stick to my feet (thankfully!).
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Two other celestial bodies of the feminine gender, fixed for one brief week apiece on the theatrical "concave," moved quickly in the direction of "the road."
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Some had a kind of concave, cylindrical, stiff black cap, which appeared to be a great ornament among them, and, we thought, was only worn by men of note or warriors.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 14 Robert Kerr 1784
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Round the sides and ends of the huts, the families, (for several are lodged together) have their separate apartments, where they sleep, and sit at work, not upon benches, but in a kind of concave trench, which is dug all round the inside of the house, and covered with mats; so that this part is kept tolerably decent.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16 Robert Kerr 1784
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This "concave" image is from the roof of the mosque next to the Taj Mahal in Agra. 50mm, wide open at f/1.4.
WordPress Planet 2010
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