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# elliptical

adjective (elliptical); adverb elliptically; noun (an elliptical — US, an exercise machine)

«elliptical» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (maths) Shaped like an ellipse, a stretched circle or oval, as in «an elliptical orbit». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#m1)
2. (language) Leaving out words that the listener can guess, as in «Coming?» instead of «Are you coming?». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#m2)
3. Said in a way that is hard to understand because it is not direct. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#m3)
4. (US, noun) An exercise machine where you move your legs in an oval path. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#m4)

### In the lessons

In science lessons, planets move around the Sun in elliptical (oval) orbits, not perfect circles. In maths, an ellipse is a curved closed shape like a squashed circle. In English grammar, «ellipsis» is leaving words out, and «…» is also called an ellipsis.

### Examples

- Earth travels around the Sun in an elliptical orbit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#x1)
- The running track is elliptical. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#x2)
- We drew an elliptical shape using two pins and a loop of string. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#x3)
- «Ready?» is an elliptical way of saying «Are you ready?» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#x4)
- His answer was so elliptical that no one understood it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#x5)
- Mum uses the elliptical at the gym. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/#x6)

### Note

Also «elliptic» in higher maths. Noun «ellipse» (the shape) and «ellipsis» (missing words, or «…»). Earth's orbit is only slightly elliptical, so it is very close to a circle; seasons are caused by Earth's tilt, not its distance from the Sun.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «elliptical» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/elliptical/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«elliptical» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/elliptical.html) on Mova free.