cone

[ kohn ]
/ koʊn /

noun

verb (used with object), coned, con·ing.

to shape like a cone or a segment of a cone.

Origin of cone

1480–90; < Latin cōnus < Greek kônos pine-cone, cone-shaped figure; akin to hone1

Example sentences from the Web for cone

British Dictionary definitions for cone

cone
/ (kəʊn) /

noun

  1. a geometric solid consisting of a plane base bounded by a closed curve, often a circle or an ellipse, every point of which is joined to a fixed point, the vertex, lying outside the plane of the base. A right circular cone has a vertex perpendicularly above or below the centre of a circular base. Volume of a cone: 1/3 π r ² h, where r is the radius of the base and h is the height of the cone
  2. a geometric surface formed by a line rotating about the vertex and connecting the peripheries of two closed plane bases, usually circular or elliptical, above and below the vertexSee also conic section
anything that tapers from a circular section to a point, such as a wafer shell used to contain ice cream
  1. the reproductive body of conifers and related plants, made up of overlapping scales, esp the mature female cone, whose scales each bear a seed
  2. a similar structure in horsetails, club mosses, etcTechnical name: strobilus
a small cone-shaped bollard used as a temporary traffic marker on roads
Also called: retinal cone any one of the cone-shaped cells in the retina of the eye, sensitive to colour and bright light

verb

(tr) to shape like a cone or part of a cone

Word Origin for cone

C16: from Latin cōnus, from Greek kōnus pine cone, geometrical cone

Medical definitions for cone

cone
[ kōn ]

n.

A solid body having a circle for its base and sides inclined so as to meet at a point above the base.
cone cell

Scientific definitions for cone

cone
[ kōn ]

A three-dimensional surface or solid object in which the base is a circle and upper surface narrows to form a point. The surface of a cone is formed mathematically by moving a line that passes through a fixed point (the vertex) along a circle.
A rounded or elongated reproductive structure that consists of sporophylls or scales arranged spirally or in an overlapping fashion along a central stem, as in conifers and cycads. For example, the familiar woody pinecone is actually the female cone, made up of ovule-bearing scales. The smaller male cones of the pine consist of thin overlapping microsporophylls. These produce pollen that is carried by the wind to fertilize ovules in the female cones. When the seeds in the female cones mature, the cones of many pine species expand to release them. In some pine species, cones release seeds only in response to the presence of fire. See also strobilus.
One of the cone-shaped cells in the retina of the eye of many vertebrate animals. Cones are extremely sensitive to light and can distinguish among different wavelengths. Cones are responsible for vision during daylight and for the ability to see colors. Compare rod.