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great circle definition

great circle

any circle described on the surface of a sphere by a plane which passes through the center of the sphere; specif., such a circle on the earth's surface: a course (great-circle course) plotted along a great circle of the earth is the shortest route between any two points on the earth's surface

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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