Association of British Scrabble Players

Science & Tech > Mathematics > Curves


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


acnodal relating to an acnode, an isolated point not upon a curve.
acnode an isolated point not upon a curve, but whose coordinates satisfy the equation of the curve so that it is considered as belonging to the curve.
anticlastic of a surface, having a curvature, at a given point and in a particular direction, that is of the opposite sign to the curvature at that point in a perpendicular direction.
asymptote a line (usually straight) that continually approaches a curve but never meets it.
axoid a curve generated by the revolution of a point round an advancing axis.
brachistochrone the curve along which a particle acted on by a force (eg gravity) will pass in the shortest time from one given point to another.
cardioid heart-shaped; (noun) a heart-shaped curve traced by a fixed point on the circumference of a circle rolling around another circle of equal radius.
catacaustic relating to or denoting a caustic curve or caustic surface formed by reflection; (noun) a catacaustic curve or surface.
catenary a curve of the kind formed by a uniform chain hanging freely from two points not in the same vertical line.
centrode a locus traced out by the successive positions of an instantaneous centre of pure rotation.
cissoid a type of mathematical curve.
conchoid a type of plane curve.
cycloid a curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle which rolls along a straight line.
cycloidal of or like a cycloid, a curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle which rolls along a straight line.
cycloidally (Adv.) CYCLOIDAL, of or like a cycloid.
diacaustic a type of curve formed by refraction.
epicycloid a curve traced by a point in the circumference of a circle which rolls on the convex side of a fixed circle.
epicycloidal of or like an epicycloid.
epitrochoid a curve like an epicycloid but generated by any point on a radius.
evolvent evolving; (noun) an involute curve.
harmonogram a curve drawn by a harmonograph.
harmonograph an instrument for drawing curves representing vibrations.
helicoid a flattened spiral; a curve generated when a curve is twisted around an axis and advanced along the axis at a rate having a constant ratio.
helicoidal relating to a helicoid, a flattened spiral.
helicoidally (Adv.) HELICOIDAL, relating to a helicoid, a flattened spiral.
hodograph a curve of which the radius vector represents the velocity of a moving particle.
hodographic relating to a hodograph.
hyperbola a mathematical curve.
hyperbolic relating to a kind of mathematical curve.
hyperbolical relating to a kind of mathematical curve.
hyperbolically (Adv.) HYPERBOLICAL, relating to a kind of mathematical curve.
hypocycloid a curve generated by a point on the circumference of a circle which rolls on the inside of another circle.
hypocycloidal of or like a hypocycloid.
hypotrochoid the curve traced by a point on the radius, or radius produced, of a circle rolling within another circle.
isochor a curve representing the variation of some quantity under conditions of constant volume.
isochore a curve representing variation of some quantity under conditions of constant volume.
isochoric of or like an isochor, a curve representing variation of some quantity under conditions of constant volume.
kurtosis the relative degree of sharpness of peak of a distribution curve.
leptokurtic in statistics, referring to a distribution showing a particular type of kurtosis.
limacon (Fr.) a type of mathematical curve.
liquidus (Lat.) a curve plotted on a graph showing how temperature affects the composition of a melting or solidifying mixture.
parabola (Greek) a type of curve, one of the conic sections.
parabolic of or like a parabola.
parabolical of or like a parabola.
parabolically (Adv.) PARABOLICAL, of or like a parabola.
platykurtic in statistics, referring to a distribution showing a particular type of kurtosis.
quadratrix a curve by which a circle may be squared.
quadric of or pertaining to the second degree; (noun) a quadric curve.
secant cutting (noun) a cutting line
secantly (Adv.) SECANT, cutting.
sinusoid a curve having the form of a sine wave.
sinusoidal of or pertaining to a sinusoid.
sinusoidally (Adv.) SINUSOIDAL, of or pertaining to a sinusoid.
spinode a cusp or stationary point of a curve.
spiric like a tore or anchor-ring; (noun) a curve, the plane section of a tore.
strophoid a type of curve on a graph.
tacnode a point of contact between two curves.
trajectory the curve that a body (as a planet or comet in its orbit or a rocket) describes in space.
trisectrix a certain curve of a polar equation.
trochoid a curve traced by a fixed point in plane of a circle.
trochoidal of or pertaining to a trochoid.
trochoidally (Adv.) TROCHOIDAL, of or pertaining to a trochoid.