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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 © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

eccentricity Synonyms

eccentricity

n.

peculiarity, oddity, idiosyncrasy; see irregularity 2. See syn. study at idiosyncrasy.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

eccentricity Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • orbit: How can the eccentricity of the orbit really be maintained over billions of years?

Converse of object

  • change: Changing the eccentricity enables orbits of planets and comets to be compared.

Adjective modifier

  • orbital: However, a modest orbital eccentricity is plainly not incompatible with life.

Modifies a noun

  • cycle: Their driving mechanism is thought to be the drying phase of Milankovitch orbital eccentricity climate cycles.
eccentricity usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

eccentricity quotes

The Rev St John Froude put the phone down thoughtfully. The notion that he was sharing the house with a disembodied and recently murdered woman was not one that he had wanted to put to his caller. His reputation for eccentricity was already sufficiently widespread without adding to it.

-Sharpe,Tom (Thomas Ridley)

eccentricity quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"eccentricity." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/eccentricity>

APA Style

eccentricity. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/eccentricity

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