— ellipticalness , n.
/i lip"ti keuhl/ , adj. Also, elliptic .
1. pertaining to or having the form of an ellipse.
2. pertaining to or marked by grammatical ellipsis.
3. (of speech or writing) expressed with extreme or excessive economy; relieved of irrelevant matter: to converse in elliptical sentences.
4. (of a style of speaking or writing) tending to be ambiguous, cryptic, or obscure: an elliptical prose that is difficult to translate.
n.
5. Astron. See elliptical galaxy .
[ 1650-60; elleiptik ( ós ) defective (see ELLIPSIS, -TIC) + -AL 1 ]