cusp

[ kuhsp ]

/ kʌsp /

noun

a point or pointed end.

Anatomy, Zoology, Botany. a point, projection, or elevation, as on the crown of a tooth.

Also called spinode. Geometry. a point where two branches of a curve meet, end, and are tangent.

Architecture. a decorative device, used especially in Gothic architecture to vary the outlines of intradoses or to form architectural foils, consisting of a pair of curves tangent to the real or imaginary line defining the area decorated and meeting at a point within the area.

Astronomy. a point of a crescent, especially of the moon.

Astrology.

the zodiacal degree that marks the beginning of a house or a sign.
Informal. a person born on the first day of a sign.

a point that marks the beginning of a change: on the cusp of a new era.

Origin of cusp

First recorded in 1575–85, cusp is from the Latin word cuspis a point

OTHER WORDS FROM cusp

cusp·al, adjective

Words nearby cusp

cushty, cushy, cusk, cusk-eel, cuso, cusp, cusp height, cuspal, cuspate, cusped, cuspid

Example sentences from the Web for cusp

The novel is a near perfect portrayal of the emotions of a young girl on the cusp of womanhood.

These Female Contemporaries Weren’t Afraid of Virginia Woolf |Louisa Treger |November 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
France, and indeed Europe, was on the cusp of a new kind of living where governments needed to be efficient.

Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator |J.P. O’Malley |November 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
As the Daily Beast reported earlier this week, Pippa Middleton is on the cusp of signing a deal to be a special reporter for NBC.

Pippa Middleton's Country Dancing NBC Try Out |Tom Sykes |November 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
These new cases, both real and merely suspected, are coming right as we approach the cusp of influenza season.

Parents’ Ebola Panic Is Taking Over My Clinic |Russell Saunders |October 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

“I always read him as an older kind of a guy on the cusp of finishing school and finding a job,” he said.

Why 'The Giver' Movie Will Disappoint the Book's Fans |Kevin Fallon |August 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Cusp—an ornament used in the tracery of windows, screens, etc., to form foliation.

Scottish Cathedrals and Abbeys |Dugald Butler and Herbert Story
The cusp of a watery moon faded in the gray dawn streaks of a muffled sky, and at last came the chairmen, with Jack running alert.

Heralds of Empire |Agnes C. Laut
There is symmetry about the initial line and a cusp at the origin.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3 |Various
And note that the number of degrees of a sign on the cusp of any house shows that that sign commenced in the previous house.

The Influence of the Stars |Rosa Baughan
Cusp -is: a pointed process; sometimes at the margin of a wing.

Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology |John. B. Smith

British Dictionary definitions for cusp

cusp

/ (kʌsp) /

noun

any of the small elevations on the grinding or chewing surface of a tooth

any of the triangular flaps of a heart valve

a point or pointed end

Also called: spinode geometry a point at which two arcs of a curve intersect and at which the two tangents are coincident

architect a carving at the meeting place of two arcs

astronomy either of the points of a crescent moon or of a satellite or inferior planet in a similar phase

astrology any division between houses or signs of the zodiac

Word Origin for cusp

C16: from Latin cuspis point, pointed end

Medical definitions for cusp

cusp

[ kŭsp ]

n.

A pointed or rounded projection on the chewing surface of a tooth.

A triangular fold or flap of a heart valve.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cusp

noun

Origin of cusp

OTHER WORDS FROM cusp

Words nearby cusp

Example sentences from the Web for cusp

British Dictionary definitions for cusp

noun

Word Origin for cusp

Medical definitions for cusp

n.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cusp

noun

Origin of cusp

OTHER WORDS FROM cusp

Words nearby cusp

Words related to cusp

Example sentences from the Web for cusp

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for cusp

noun

Word Origin for cusp

Medical definitions for cusp

n.

British Dictionary definitions for cusp