eccentricities

Variant of eccentricity

eccentricity definition

ec·cen·tric·ity (ek′sen tris′ə tē, -sən-)

noun pl. eccentricities -·ties

  1. the state, quality, or amount of being eccentric
    1. deviation from what is ordinary or customary, as in conduct or manner; oddity; unconventionality
    2. an eccentric trait or habit; peculiarity
  3. Math. the ratio of the distances from any point of a conic section to the focus and to the directrix: the value of this ratio determines the type of conic section (zero = circle, between zero and one = ellipse, one = parabola, more than one = hyperbola)
  4. Mech. the distance between the center of a shaft and the center of its eccentric wheel: sometimes, erroneously, called a throw

Etymology: see eccentric

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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