ellipses

Noun

ellipse (plural ellipses)

1. A closed curve, the locus of a point such that the sum of the distances from that point to two other fixed points (called the foci of the ellipse) is constant; equivalently, the conic section that is the intersection of a cone with a plane that does not intersect the base of the cone.
   • Near-synonym: oval (synonymous in non-technical use)

   Synonyms:

   oval[Appendix:Glossary

See all 5 meanings of ellipse

Noun

ellipsis (countable and uncountable, plural ellipses)

1. A mark consisting of multiple full stops (with or without spaces), used to indicate omitted, missing, or illegible words; or (in mathematics) that a pattern continues.
   • The ellipsis in 1, 2, 3, ..., 8, 9 means that the numbers 4, 5, 6, and 7 are not explicitly included, but are considered to be part of the pattern.

   Synonyms:

   dot dot dot, suspension dots, suspension points

2. (rhetoric) The omission from a clause of a word or phrase that is nevertheless inferred using the context of the remaining element.
3. The omission of scenes in a film that do not advance the plot.
   • It was now possible for writers and directors to cut scenes that did not further the plot; called "ellipses" by filmmakers.2002, David Blanke, The 1910s: 219
4. (obsolete) An ellipse.