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Definition of "elliptic" [el•lip•tic]

  • Of, relating to, or having the shape of an ellipse. (adjective)
  • Containing or characterized by ellipsis. (adjective)
  • Of or relating to extreme economy of oral or written expression. (adjective)
  • Marked by deliberate obscurity of style or expression. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "elliptic" in a sentence
  • "There is something in gauge theory called the elliptic sequence."
  • "The resulting space is a closed manifold (without any boundary), and it is the carrier of the so-called elliptic non-Euclidean geometry of F. Klein (S.M. Coxeter, p. 13)."
  • "Certicom specializes in what is called elliptic curve cryptography, which is used to encrypt electronic data."