ellipsoidal
Slightly flattened sphere
Ellipsoidal describes something shaped like an ellipsoid—a three-dimensional figure resembling a sphere that has been stretched or compressed along one or more axes, like a football or an egg.
The term appears most often in technical contexts: astronomy (planets are slightly ellipsoidal rather than perfectly spherical), lighting design (ellipsoidal reflector spotlights), and mathematics.
The Earth's ellipsoidal shape means it bulges slightly at the equator.
Nearly round solid
- oblateSquashed-sphere shape
- prolateExtended at poles
- fociCentral points of convergence
- eccentricityUnconventional behavior or nature
semi-major · axis · conic · quadratic · parametric · triaxial · biaxial · aspheric
Elongated rounded shape
- ovoidResembling an egg's form
- oblongElongated in one direction
- egg-shapedOval with tapered end
- watermelonVine fruit with red flesh
pebble · lenticular · rounded · elongated · flattened · tapered · bulging · contour
Gravitationally bound stellar mass
- nebulaInterstellar gas formation
- orbitCurved celestial path
- planetStar-orbiting spherical body
- asteroidSun-orbiting rocky mass
geoid · halo · reflector · wavefront · particle · droplet · cell · nucleus
Rotation reference line
- bilateralInvolving two parties
- rotationalConcerning circular movement
- mirrorReflective viewing surface
- equatorialOf Earth's central line
polar · uniform · balanced · aligned · concentric · radial · axisymmetric · homogeneous
spheroid
Nearly round solid
eccentricity · semi-major · axis · conic · quadratic · parametric · triaxial · biaxial · aspheric · volume
oval
Elongated rounded shape
- ovoidResembling an egg's form
- oblongElongated in one direction
- egg-shapedOval with tapered end
watermelon · pebble · lenticular · rounded · elongated · flattened · tapered · bulging · contour · profile
galaxy
Gravitationally bound stellar mass
asteroid · geoid · halo · reflector · wavefront · particle · droplet · cell · nucleus · bacterium
axis
Rotation reference line
- bilateralInvolving two parties
- rotationalConcerning circular movement
- mirrorReflective viewing surface
equatorial · polar · uniform · balanced · aligned · concentric · radial · axisymmetric · homogeneous · isotropic
- stagecraftstage left, stage right, center stage, downstage, upstage
- stage lightingspotlight, spotlights, Fresnel, followspot, follow spot
- lightinglamp, lamps, bulbs, light bulb, light bulbs
- stage riggingcounterweight system, counterweight, arbor, batten, battens