CURVATURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does curvature mean? 

• CURVATURE (noun)
  The noun CURVATURE has 3 senses:

1. (medicine) a curving or bending; often abnormal

2. the rate of change (at a point) of the angle between a curve and a tangent to the curve

3. the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface

  Familiarity information: CURVATURE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CURVATURE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(medicine) a curving or bending; often abnormal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

curvature of the spine

Hypernyms ("curvature" is a kind of...):

condition; status (a state at a particular time)

Domain category:

medical specialty; medicine (the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques)

Derivation:

curve (bend or cause to bend)

curve (form an arch or curve)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The rate of change (at a point) of the angle between a curve and a tangent to the curve

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("curvature" is a kind of...):

derivative; derived function; differential; differential coefficient; first derivative (the result of mathematical differentiation; the instantaneous change of one quantity relative to another; df(x)/dx)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The property possessed by the curving of a line or surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

curvature; curve

Hypernyms ("curvature" is a kind of...):

configuration; conformation; contour; form; shape (any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "curvature"):

curliness; waviness ((of hair) a tendency to curl)

straightness ((of hair) lack of a tendency to curl)

Derivation:

curve (form an arch or curve)

 Context examples 

A disorder characterized by an abnormal increase in the curvature of the thoracic portion of the spine.

(Kyphosis, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)

Abnormally increased curvature of the thoracic portion of the spine.

(Kyphosis, NCI Thesaurus)

The portion of the lesser omentum between the liver and the lesser curvature of the stomach.

(Hepatogastric Ligament, NCI Thesaurus)

The double layer of peritoneum that extends from the lesser curvature of the stomach and the start of the duodenum to the liver.

(Lesser Omentum, NCI Thesaurus)

Abnormally increased curvature of the lumbar portion of the spinal column.

(Lordosis, NCI Thesaurus)

The term usually refers to abnormally increased curvature (hollow back, saddle back, swayback).

(Lordosis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A disorder characterized by an abnormal increase in the curvature of the lumbar portion of the spine.

(Lordosis, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)

General relativity describes gravity as the curvature of space and special relativity describes the relationship between time and space.

(Hubble Uncovers Black Hole Disk that Shouldn't Exist, NASA)

The portion of the greater omentum between the greater curvature of the stomach and the hilum of the spleen.

(Gastrosplenic Ligament, NCI Thesaurus)

It usually occurs in the lesser curvature.

(Early Gastric Cancer, NCI Thesaurus)