CURVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does curve mean? 

• CURVE (noun)
  The noun CURVE has 5 senses:

1. the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes

2. a line on a graph representing data

3. a pitch of a baseball that is thrown with spin so that its path curves as it approaches the batter

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

5. curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.)

  Familiarity information: CURVE used as a noun is common.

• CURVE (verb)
  The verb CURVE has 5 senses:

1. turn sharply; change direction abruptly

2. extend in curves and turns

3. form an arch or curve

4. bend or cause to bend

5. form a curl, curve, or kink

  Familiarity information: CURVE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CURVE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The trace of a point whose direction of motion changes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

curve; curved shape

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

line (a length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point)

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

envelope (a curve that is tangent to each of a family of curves)

crenation; crenature; crenel; crenelle; scallop (one of a series of rounded projections (or the notches between them) formed by curves along an edge (as the edge of a leaf or piece of cloth or the margin of a shell or a shriveled red blood cell observed in a hypertonic solution etc.))

spiral (a plane curve traced by a point circling about the center but at increasing distances from the center)

helix; spiral (a curve that lies on the surface of a cylinder or cone and cuts the element at a constant angle)

perversion (a curve that reverses the direction of something)

sinuosity; sinuousness (having curves)

arch (a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening)

bell; bell shape; campana (the shape of a bell)

arc; bow (something curved in shape)

crescent (any shape resembling the curved shape of the moon in its first or last quarters)

quadric; quadric surface (a curve or surface whose equation (in Cartesian coordinates) is of the second degree)

lemniscate (any of several plane algebraic curves in the shape of a figure eight)

line roulette; roulette (a line generated by a point on one figure rolling around a second figure)

crotchet; hook (a sharp curve or crook; a shape resembling a hook)

bell-shaped curve; Gaussian curve; Gaussian shape; normal curve (a symmetrical curve representing the normal distribution)

meander (a bend or curve, as in a stream or river)

closed curve (a curve (such as a circle) having no endpoints)

S-shape (a double curve resembling the letter S)

catenary (the curve theoretically assumed by a perfectly flexible and inextensible cord of uniform density and cross section hanging freely from two fixed points)

Cupid's bow (the double curve of the upper lip when considered to resemble Cupid's bow)

undulation; wave (an undulating curve)

extrados (the exterior curve of an arch)

gooseneck (something in a thin curved form (like the neck of a goose))

intrados (the interior curve of an arch)

bend; crook; turn; twist (a circular segment of a curve)

arc (a continuous portion of a circle)

Antonym:

straight line (a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature)

Derivation:

curve (turn sharply; change direction abruptly)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A line on a graph representing data

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

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

line (a length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point)

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

regression curve; regression line (a smooth curve fitted to the set of paired data in regression analysis; for linear regression the curve is a straight line)

Holonyms ("curve" is a part of...):

graph; graphical record; graphical recording (a visual representation of the relations between certain quantities, represented as points, plotted with reference to a set of axes)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A pitch of a baseball that is thrown with spin so that its path curves as it approaches the batter

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

bender; breaking ball; curve; curve ball

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

delivery; pitch ((baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter)

Sense 4

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 ("curve" 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 "curve"):

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

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

Derivation:

curve (form an arch or curve)

curve (extend in curves and turns)

curvey; curvy (having curves)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bend; curve

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

section; segment (one of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object)

Domain category:

river (a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek))

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

elbow (a sharp bend in a road or river)

blind bend; blind curve (a curve or bend in the road that you cannot see around as you are driving)

hairpin bend (a U-shaped bend in a road)

Holonyms ("curve" is a part of...):

road; route (an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation)

Derivation:

curve (turn sharply; change direction abruptly)

curve (extend in curves and turns)

curvey; curvy (having curves)

curve (form a curl, curve, or kink)

• CURVE (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Turn sharply; change direction abruptly

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

curve; cut; sheer; slew; slue; swerve; trend; veer

Context example:

The motorbike veered to the right

Hypernyms (to "curve" is one way to...):

turn (change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "curve"):

peel off (leave a formation)

yaw (swerve off course momentarily)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

curve (curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.))

curve (the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Extend in curves and turns

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

curve; twist; wind

Context example:

the path twisted through the forest

Hypernyms (to "curve" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "curve"):

circumvolute (wind or turn in volutions, especially in an inward spiral, as of snail)

spiral (form a spiral)

snake (form a snake-like pattern)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

curve (curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.))

curve (the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Form an arch or curve

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

arc; arch; curve

Context example:

her hips curve nicely

Hypernyms (to "curve" is one way to...):

bend; flex (form a curve)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "curve"):

camber (curve upward in the middle)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

curvature (the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface)

curvature ((medicine) a curving or bending; often abnormal)

curve (the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Bend or cause to bend

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

crook; curve

Context example:

the road curved sharply

Hypernyms (to "curve" is one way to...):

bend; flex (form a curve)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "curve"):

recurve (curve or bend (something) back or down)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

curvature ((medicine) a curving or bending; often abnormal)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Form a curl, curve, or kink

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

curl; curve; kink

Context example:

the cigar smoke curled up at the ceiling

Hypernyms (to "curve" is one way to...):

change surface (undergo or cause to undergo a change in the surface)

"Curve" entails doing...:

bend; deform; flex; turn; twist (cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

curve (curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.))

 Context examples 

The area under the curve (AUC) from the time of dosing to the last measurable concentration divided by the weight.

(AUC Dosing to Last Concentration Normalized by Weight, NCI Thesaurus)

The area under the curve (AUC) over the interval from T1 to T2 divided by the body mass index.

(AUC from T1 to T2 Normalized by Body Mass Index, NCI Thesaurus)

The area under the curve (AUC) over the interval from T1 to T2 divided by the dose.

(AUC from T1 to T2 Normalized by Dose, NCI Thesaurus)

The area under the curve (AUC) over the interval from T1 to T2 divided by the surface area.

(AUC from T1 to T2 Normalized by Surface Area, NCI Thesaurus)

The area under the curve (AUC) from the time of dosing to the last measurable concentration divided by the surface area.

(AUC Dosing to Last Concentration Normalized by Surface Area, NCI Thesaurus)

The area under the curve (AUC) from the time of dosing to the last measurable concentration divided by the dose.

(AUC Dosing to Last Concentration Normalized by Dose, NCI Thesaurus)

The area under the curve (AUC) from the time of dosing to the time of the last observation divided by the surface area, regardless of whether the last concentration is measurable or not.

(AUC All Normalized by Surface Area, NCI Thesaurus)

The area under the curve (AUC) from the time of dosing to the time of the last observation divided by the weight, regardless of whether the last concentration is measurable or not.

(AUC All Normalized by Weight, NCI Thesaurus)

The area under the curve (AUC) from the time of dosing to the last measurable concentration divided by the body mass index.

(AUC Dosing to Last Concentration Normalized by Body Mass Index, NCI Thesaurus)

Minutes times femtograms per milliliter (area under the curve).

(Minute Times Femtogram per Milliliter, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)