ellipse

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a regular oval closed curve, a flattened circle

   Each planet traces an ellipse around the sun.

From French ellipse, from Latin ellipsis, from Ancient Greek élleipsis ('a falling short, defect'), from elleípein ('to fall short, leave out'); named by Apollonius of Perga because the conic section's eccentricity falls short of that of a parabola.

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