spher6id

[Gr. sphairoieidės =sphere-like, from sphaira a sphere, and eidos =form, appearance; Fr. sphéroide.] Geom.: A solid, resembling a sphere in form, and generated by the revolution of an ellipse about one of its axes. If an ellipse be revolved about its transverse axis, the spheroid generated is called a Prolate spheroid; if it be revolved about its conjugate axis, the spheroid generated is called an Oblate spheroid. The earth is an oblate spheroid-that is, flattened at the poles so that its polar is le than its equatorial diameter. sphër-old-al, sphër-Sid-ic, spher-cid-ic-al, a. [Eng. spheroid: -al; -ic; -ical.] I. Ord. Lang.: Having the form of a spheroid. "If these corpuscles be spheroid i cal , or oval, their shortest diameters must not be much greater than those of light."-Cheyne. II. Crystal log.: Bounded by several convex faces. spheroidal-bracketing, s. Arch .: Bracketing prepared for a plaster ceiling whose surface is to form that of a spheroid. spheroidal-exce , s . [EXCESS, 8..]