torus

Noun

torus (plural tori or toruses)

1. A topological space which is a product of two circles.
   • A 4-variable Karnaugh map can be thought of, topologically, as being a torus.

   Synonyms:

   toroid

2. (in-compounds, usually) The product of the specified number of circles.

   Synonyms:

   toroid

3. A ring-shaped object, especially a large ring-shaped chamber used in physical research.

   Synonyms:

   toroid

4. A large convex molding, typically semicircular in cross section, which commonly projects at the base of a column and above the plinth.
5. A rounded ridge of bone or muscle, especially one on the occipital bone.
   • While there is a hereditary component to tori, this does not explain all cases. Tori tend to appear more frequently during middle age of life; the torus palatinus is more commonly observed in females, but this is not the case with the torus mandibularis. Certain ethnic groups are more prone to one...2010 March, Andrés S. García-García, José-María Martínez-González, Rafael Gómez-Font, Ángeles Soto-Rivadeneira, Lucia Oviedo-Roldán, “Current status of the torus palatinus and torus mandibularis”, in...
6. The end of the peduncle or flower stalk to which the floral parts (or in the Asteraceae, the florets of a flower head) are attached.

   Synonyms:

   receptacle, thalamus

7. The thickening of a membrane closing a wood-cell pit (as of gymnosperm tracheids) having the secondary cell wall arched over the pit cavity.