n.
Pronunciation: h ī - ' p ə r-b ə -l ə
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -las or -lae \ -( ˌ )l ē \
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek hyperbol ē
Date: 1668
: a plane curve generated by a point so moving that the difference of the distances from two fixed points is a constant : a curve formed by the intersection of a double right circular cone with a plane that cuts both halves of the cone
hyperbola: AB, CD axes; F, F ′ foci; xy, zw asymptotes; h, h ′ , h ˝ , h ′ ′ ′ hyperbola