Definitions
Wiktionary
- adj. In a shape reminding of an ellipse; oval.
- adj. Of, or showing ellipsis; having a word or words omitted.
- adj. of speech Concise, condensed.
- adj. mathematics, rare Alternative form of elliptic.
- adj. Being flat and in the shape of a twice-symmetrical ellipse; oval.
- n. astronomy An elliptical galaxy
- n. An elliptical trainer
WordNet 3.0
- adj. characterized by extreme economy of expression or omission of superfluous elements
- adj. rounded like an egg
Etymologies
- From elliptic + -al. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“What resulted was system of planets orbiting in elliptical, not circular, orbits described by three laws.”
“The signals come from 2 satellites that are picked up by one smaller 33.5 by 26.5 in elliptical dish.”
“There are other kinds of constructions in which the choice of “me” and “I” in short elliptical phrases may depend onwhether a subject or an object is implied.”
“The predictable love triangle that develops, and the equally predictable tragedy that results, are related almost entirely in short, elliptical scenes that strip down the basic story to its most essential details and moments.”
“He speaks in short, elliptical snatches and views life with the detached outlook of an undertaker.”
“Some eighty out of every one hundred galaxies are classified as elliptical galaxies.”
“Two neutron stars circle each other closely in elliptical orbits.”
“The two men conversed in short elliptical sentences, using many technical terms.”
“I was sweating away my own business on that horrid torture device called the elliptical, which is supposed to simulate running but is really just another giant gerbil toy that contorts my old-before-their-time hips in unnatural ways, when the guy next to me asks me what I think about VP candidate Sarah Palin.”
“The story is told entirely through Uram’s voiceover narration, in elliptical prose with poetic overtones.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘elliptical’.
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shapes
words for shape
( randomness, visual. descriptive )triangular, conical, round, broad, congruous, hexagonal, globular, curved, oval, rectangular, parallel, crumpled and 142 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Test Prep or Just for fun
Building a list for standardized test prep or just for learning some new words! Please add any words that you feel are important for the SAT/GRE/GMAT etc...
throng, morass, parley, facile, kismet, strife, jetsam, carrion, annex, harbinger, vestige, surreptitious and 575 more...
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New words
new words or spelling issues
voluble, Metagrobolize, salubrious, calumny, fugacity, withdrawal, bourse, hypertrophy, leitmotif, argot, improvident, damask and 241 more...
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ipt
script, conscript, description, inscription, prescription, proscription, conniption, receipt, tip toe, tip top, strip tease, Rip Torn and 27 more...
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♥
ambrosia, inamorata, gossamer, lily-white, hummingbird, roucoulement, poppy, daisy, calypso, lunula, lamb, dove and 1526 more...
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reginaterra's Words
purl, blow, squish, andean, generality, adaptation, lush, pack, filter, acquiesce, abstraction, sweet and 508 more...
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Good Words
fenestering, cetic, immanent, quickening, archetypal, shibboleth, soma, wetware, heritable, Apotheosis, halcyon, cellar door and 482 more...
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spazgirl's words
dilettante, elegy, derelict, evince, solicitous, shibboleth, exculpate, karma, animadversion, arrogate, effrontery, grouse and 114 more...
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hedges's Words
wii, crepuscule, adumbrate, concatenation, sufi, qawwali, furry, riot, mellifluous, conspiracy, etymology, tea cozy and 369 more...
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Misc. Words.
Words I like to use, words I like but may forget.
corrosion, astonish, solace, ferment, continuum, kinesthetic, permeate, repose, caprice, cardinal, discourse, surrender and 610 more...
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GPaX. Words.
excogitate, clarity, obscurity, tangential, interesting, regurgitate, mycelium, degradation, unladen, swallow, klein, quote and 120 more...
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Fun Words
Words that have funny meanings or are just fun to say.
kumquat, chimichanga, sarsparilla, rutabaga, rumpus, flummox, encrusted, prestidigitation, pomegranate, preposterous, dentiloquist, sepulchre and 323 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, E
excoriate, exoskeleton, enclave, endemic, erstwhile, entwine, elliptical, élan, earflaps, earlobe, earthen, earthenware and 238 more...
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dienekes's Words
chutzpah, lexicon, intrepid, pedagogical, schlemiel, schism, erudite, anathema, pugilist, jaunty, paradigm, automaton and 949 more...
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words I like for one reason or another
nostalgia, corgi, ambiguous, anachronistic, bamboozled, eloquent, emporium, sacrosanct, nascent, obfuscate, miscellaneous, kaleidoscopic and 113 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for elliptical.

milosrdenstvi 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!
-- The Mikado Aug 20, 2008