asymptote

See also Asymptote

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Apollonius Pergaeus's Ancient Greek term ἀσύμπτωτος (asúmptōtos, “not falling together”), from ἀ (“not”) + σύν (“together”) + πτωτός (“fallen”).

Noun

asymptote (plural asymptotes)

1. (analysis) A straight line which a curve approaches arbitrarily closely, as they go to infinity. The limit of the curve, its tangent "at infinity".
2. (by extension, figuratively) Anything which comes near to but never meets something else.
   • 1860: Frederic William Farrar, An Essay on the Origin of Language, page 117

     Language, in relation to thought, must ever be regarded as an asymptote.

Derived terms

• asymptotic
• asymptotics
• asymptotical
• asymptotically

Translations

a straight line which a curve approaches arbitrarily closely

• Catalan: asímptota (ca) f
• Czech: asymptota (cs) f
• Dutch: asymptoot (nl) m
• Finnish: asymptootti (fi)
• French: asymptote (fr) f
• German: Asymptote (de) f
• Icelandic: aðfella (is) f, ósnertill (is) m

• Ido: asimptoto (io)
• Polish: asymptota (pl) f
• Portuguese: assíntota (pt)
• Romanian: asimptotă (ro) f
• Russian: асимптота (ru) (asimptóta) f 
• Swedish: asymptot (sv) c
• Turkish: asimptot (tr)

Verb

asymptote (third-person singular simple present asymptotes, present participle asymptoting, simple past and past participle asymptoted)

1. (analysis) To approach, but never quite touch, a straight line, as something goes to infinity.
   • 2006: Neil deGrasse Tyson, The Perimeter of Ignorance

     As you become more scientific, yes, the religiosity drops off, but it asymptotes.

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French

Noun

asymptote f (plural asymptotes)

1. (analysis) asymptote