curv

{ , 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 ]

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 ]

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 ]