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Dictionary

el•lipse

Pronunciation: (i-lips'), [key]
—n. Geom.
a plane curve such that the sums of the distances of each point in its periphery from two fixed points, the foci, are equal. It is a conic section formed by the intersection of a right circular cone by a plane that cuts the axis and the surface of the cone. Typical equation: (x²/a²) + (y²/b²) = 1. If a = b the ellipse is a circle. See diag. under conic section.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

Elliott

ellipsis

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