Definition of "prolate" [pro•late]

• Having the shape of a spheroid generated by rotating an ellipse about its longer axis. (adjective)
• Having the polar axis longer than the equatorial diameter: a prolate spheroid. (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.

• "The effect of the revolution is to make both bodies slightly protrude in the direction of the line joining them; they become slightly "prolate" as it is called -- that is, lemon-shaped."
• "For a while, they sampled movies together and Jerry arrived with actresses who resembled Dot in some way — dark skin, black hair, or not seldom prolate breasts."
• "Recently, we have measured fetal congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation volume by sonographic measurement using the formula for a prolate ellipse (length X height X width X 0.52)."