ellipsoid

noun

el·​lip·​soid i-ˈlip-ˌsȯid 

e-

: a surface all plane sections of which are ellipses or circles

ellipsoidal

i-ˌlip-ˈsȯi-dᵊl 

(ˌ)e-

adjective

or less commonly ellipsoid

Examples of ellipsoid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The asteroid, which before the DART encounter looked like a ball that was a bit plump in the waist, now appears to be shaped more like a watermelon - or, technically, a triaxial ellipsoid, scientists said on Tuesday. —Fox News, 20 Mar. 2024

When the geoid is above the ellipsoid, the difference is subtracted. —Freddie Wilkinson, National Geographic, 28 Sep. 2020

Again, by elementary optics and geometry, light rays originating at one focus of a hollow reflective ellipsoid are reflected to the other focus by its inside surface. —Quanta Magazine, 1 Apr. 2020

The earth is slightly thicker in the equator, making it an ellipsoid, technically. —Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 17 Dec. 2019

From radar observations, Psyche the asteroid appears ellipsoid in shape, about as wide as Massachusetts. —Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1721, in the meaning defined above