ellittico

elliptical

adjective el-LEET-tee-koh Rare

Origin: From Greek elleiptikos (falling short, from elleipein).

Also means

elliptic

Usage Note

Ellittico can describe a geometric ellipse (orbita ellittica = elliptical orbit) or figurative speech that omits words (stile ellittico = elliptical style). The plural forms are ellittici (m pl) and ellittiche (f pl). In everyday Italian it is most common in scientific and literary criticism contexts.

Examples

"I pianeti seguono un'orbita ellittica attorno al sole."

Natural Translation

The planets follow an elliptical orbit around the sun.

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