elliptical
[ ih-lip-ti-kuh l ]
/ ɪˈlɪp tɪ kəl /
adjective Also el·lip·tic.
pertaining to or having the form of an ellipse.
pertaining to or marked by grammatical ellipsis.
(of speech or writing) expressed with extreme or excessive economy; relieved of irrelevant matter: to converse in elliptical sentences.
(of a style of speaking or writing) tending to be ambiguous, cryptic, or obscure: an elliptical prose that is difficult to translate.
noun
Astronomy.
elliptical galaxy.
OTHER WORDS FROM elliptical
Words nearby elliptical
Example sentences from the Web for elliptic
British Dictionary definitions for elliptic
elliptical
/ (ɪˈlɪptɪkəl) /
adjective
relating to or having the shape of an ellipse
relating to or resulting from ellipsis
(of speech, literary style, etc)
- very condensed or concise, often so as to be obscure or ambiguous
- circumlocutory or long-winded
Also (for senses 1, 2):
elliptic
Derived forms of elliptical
elliptically, adverb ellipticalness, nounusage for elliptical
The use of
elliptical to mean
circumlocutory should be avoided as it may be interpreted wrongly as meaning
condensed or
concise