*curv*

adj. having a pronounced womanly shape; having a slender waist with prominent breasts and hips. [ chiefly dialect ]
Syn. -- bosomy, buxom, full-bosomed, sonsie, sonsy, voluptuous. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

{ , a. [ L. curvans, p. pr. ] (Her.) Bowed; bent; curved. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. curvatus p. p. of curvare to curve, fr. curvus. See Curve. ] Bent in a regular form; curved. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. curvatio. ] The act of bending or crooking. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Having the margins only a little curved; -- said of leaves. Henslow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. curvatura. See Curvate. ] 1. The act of curving, or the state of being bent or curved; a curving or bending, normal or abnormal, as of a line or surface from a rectilinear direction; a bend; a curve. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

The elegant curvature of their fronds. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Math.) The amount of degree of bending of a mathematical curve, or the tendency at any point to depart from a tangent drawn to the curve at that point. [ 1913 Webster ]

Aberrancy of curvature (Geom.), the deviation of a curve from a circular form. --
Absolute curvature. See under Absolute. --
Angle of curvature (Geom.), one that expresses the amount of curvature of a curve. --
Chord of curvature. See under Chord. --
Circle of curvature. See Osculating circle of a curve, under Circle. --
Curvature of the spine (Med.), an abnormal curving of the spine, especially in a lateral direction. --
Radius of curvature, the radius of the circle of curvature, or osculatory circle, at any point of a curve. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. curvus bent, curved. See Cirb. ] Bent without angles; crooked; curved; as, a curve line; a curve surface. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Curve, a., Cirb. ] 1. A bending without angles; that which is bent; a flexure; as, a curve in a railway or canal. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Geom.) A line described according to some low, and having no finite portion of it a straight line. [ 1913 Webster ]

Axis of a curve. See under Axis. --
Curve of quickest descent. See Brachystochrone. --
Curve tracing (Math.), the process of determining the shape, location, singular points, and other peculiarities of a curve from its equation. --
Plane curve (Geom.), a curve such that when a plane passes through three points of the curve, it passes through all the other points of the curve. Any other curve is called a curve of double curvature, or a twisted curve. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Curved p. pr. & vb. n. Curving. ] [ L. curvare., fr. curvus. See Curve, a., Curb. ] To bend; to crook; as, to curve a line; to curve a pipe; to cause to swerve from a straight course; as, to curve a ball in pitching it. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To bend or turn gradually from a given direction; as, the road curves to the right. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. not straight; having or marked by curves. Opposite of straight. [ Narrower terms: arced, arched, arching, arciform, arcuate, bowed; falcate, sickle-shaped; flexuous; incurvate, incurved: recurved, recurvate; semicircular: serpentine, snaky: sinuate, sinuous, wavy: sinusoidal ]
Syn. -- curving. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. (Botany) curved with the micropyle near the base almost touching its stalk; -- of a plant ovule. Opposite of orthotropous.
Syn. -- campylotropous. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The state of being curved. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. corvet, It.corvetta: cf. F. courbette. See Curve, and cf. Corvetto. ] 1. (Man.) A particular leap of a horse, when he raises both his fore legs at once, equally advanced, and, as his fore legs are falling, raises his hind legs, so that all his legs are in the air at once. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A prank; a frolic. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Curveted or -vetted; p. pr. & vb. n. Curveting or -vetting. ] [ Cf. It. corvettare. See Curvet, n. ] 1. To make a curvet; to leap; to bound. “Oft and high he did curvet.” Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To leap and frisk; to frolic. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To cause to curvet. Landor. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. curvus bent + E. caudate. ] (Zool.) Having a curved or crooked tail. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. curvus + E. costate. ] (Bot.) Having bent ribs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. curvus + E. dentate. ] Having curved teeth. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. curvus + -form. ] Having a curved form. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Geom.) An instrument for drawing curved lines. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. curvus bent + E. lineal, linear. ] Consisting of, or bounded by, curved lines; as, a curvilinear figure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being curvilinear or of being bounded by curved lines. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a curvilinear manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. curvus bent + E. nerve. ] (Bot.) Having the ribs or the veins of the leaves curved; -- called also curvinervate and curve-veined. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. curvus + E. rostral. ] (Zool.) Having a crooked beak, as the crossbill. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. curvus curved + rostrum beak, rostrum. ] (Zool.) A group of passerine birds, including the creepers and nuthatches. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. curvus bent + E. serial. ] (Bot.) Distributed in a curved line, as leaves along a stem. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. curvitas, from curvus bent: cf. F. curvité. ] The state of being curved; a bending in a regular form; crookedness. Holder. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. curvus bent + -graph. ] (Geom.) An arcograph. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. incurvatus, p. p. of incurvare to crook; pref. in- in + curvus bent. See Curve, and cf. Incurve. ] Curved; bent; crooked. Derham. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Incurvated p. pr. & vb. n. Incurvating. ] To turn from a straight line or course; to bend; to crook. Cheyne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. incurvatio: cf. F. incurvation. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of bending, or curving. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being bent or curved; curvature. [ 1913 Webster ]

An incurvation of the rays. Derham. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The act of bowing, or bending the body, in respect or reverence. “The incurvations of the knee.” Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Incurved p. pr. & vb. n. Incurving. ] [ See Incurvate. ] To bend; to curve; to make crooked. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. in- in + curved. ] (Bot.) Bending gradually toward the axis or center, as branches or petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From L. incurvus bent. See Incurvate. ] A state of being bent or curved; incurvation; a bending inwards. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. recurvatus, p. p. of recurvare. See Re-, and Curvate. ] (Bot.) Recurved. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To bend or curve back; to recurve. Pennant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of recurving, or the state of being recurved; a bending or flexure backward. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To curve in an opposite or unusual direction; to bend back or down. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Curved in an opposite or uncommon direction; bent back; as, a bird with a recurved bill; flowers with recurved petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. recurvus bent back + rostrum beack; cf. F. récurvirostre. ] (Zool.) A bird whose beak bends upward, as the avocet. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Recurviroster. ] (Zool.) Having the beak bent upwards. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Recurvation. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. recurvus; pref. re- re + curvus curved. ] Recurved. Derham. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a scurvy manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being scurvy; vileness; meanness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Compar. Scurvier superl. Scurviest. ] [ From Scurf; cf. Scurvy, n. ] 1. Covered or affected with scurf or scabs; scabby; scurfy; specifically, diseased with the scurvy. “Whatsoever man . . . be scurvy or scabbed.” Lev. xxi. 18, 20. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Vile; mean; low; vulgar; contemptible. “A scurvy trick.” Ld. Lytton. [ 1913 Webster ]

That scurvy custom of taking tobacco. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ He ] spoke spoke such scurvy and provoking terms. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Probably from the same source as scorbute, but influenced by scurf, scurfy, scurvy, adj.; cf. D. scheurbuik scurvy, G. scharbock, LL. scorbutus. Cf. Scorbute. ] (Med.) A disease characterized by livid spots, especially about the thighs and legs, due to extravasation of blood, and by spongy gums, and bleeding from almost all the mucous membranes. It is accompanied by paleness, languor, depression, and general debility. It is occasioned by confinement, innutritious food, and hard labor, but especially by lack of fresh vegetable food, or confinement for a long time to a limited range of food, which is incapable of repairing the waste of the system. It was formerly prevalent among sailors and soldiers. [ 1913 Webster ]

Scurvy grass [ Scurvy + grass; or cf. Icel. skarfakāl scurvy grass. ] (Bot.) A kind of cress (Cochlearia officinalis) growing along the seacoast of Northern Europe and in arctic regions. It is a remedy for the scurvy, and has proved a valuable food to arctic explorers. The name is given also to other allied species of plants. [ 1913 Webster ]