paraboloid

noun

pa·​rab·​o·​loid pə-ˈra-bə-ˌlȯid How to pronounce paraboloid (audio)
: a surface all of whose intersections by planes are either parabolas and ellipses or parabolas and hyperbolas
paraboloidal adjective

Examples of paraboloid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The closer the streamer is to being parallel to the surface of the paraboloid, the faster the wave appears to move. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2025 Imagine a paraboloid composed of a sequence of parabolas stacked side by side. Quanta Magazine, 6 Oct. 2021 Nearby, 16 stark-white paraboloid beams supported the Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasília like a crown of thorns. Heidi Mitchell, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2018 Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium Built for the 1964 Olympics, the indoor stadium, a cantilevered hyberbolic paraboloid, is threatened with demolition because of leaks. Ben Ryder Howe, Town & Country, 16 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

parabola + -oid entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1702, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of paraboloid was circa 1702

Cite this Entry

“Paraboloid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paraboloid. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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