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elliptical

el·lip·ti·cal

elliptical

 
 
pronunciation:
ih lIp t kl
features:
Word Combinations (adjective)
part of speech: adjective
definition 1: of, pertaining to, or in the form of an ellipse.
The planets move in an elliptical orbit around the sun.
similar words:
oval
definition 2: pertaining to, containing, or characterized by grammatical ellipsis.
definition 3: pertaining to economy of oral or written expression.
definition 4: tending toward or characterized by an economy of expression that creates ambiguity or obscurity, often purposefully.
In Macbeth, the witches' elliptical utterance, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," is a puzzling warning about good and evil in the play.
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derivations: elliptic (adj.), elliptically (adv.)