HYPERBOLA

hyperbola

(noun) an open curve formed by a plane that cuts the base of a right circular cone

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

hyperbola (plural hyperbolas or hyperbolae or hyperbolæ)

(geometry) A conic section formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane that intersects the base of the cone and is not tangent to the cone.

Usage notes

Source: Wiktionary

Hy*per"bo*la, n. Etym: [Gr. i. e., of the angle which the cutting plane makes with the base. See Hyperbole.] (Geom.)

Definition: A curve formed by a section of a cone, when the cutting plane makes a greater angle with the base than the side of the cone makes. It is a plane curve such that the difference of the distances from any point of it to two fixed points, called foci, is equal to a given distance. See Focus. If the cutting plane be produced so as to cut the opposite cone, another curve will be formed, which is also an hyperbola. Both curves are regarded as branches of the same hyperbola. See Illust. of Conic section, and Focus.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition