adj. 1. Of, relating to, or having the shape of an ellipse. 2. Containing or characterized by ellipsis. 3. a. Of or relating to extreme economy of oral or written expression. b. Marked by deliberate obscurity of style or expression. [New Latin ellīpticus, from Greek elleiptikos, defective, from elleipsis, a falling short, ellipsis; see ELLIPSIS.] el·lipti·cal·ly adv. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.