elliptic

(-tĭ-kəl)
adj.

1. Of, relating to, or having the shape of an ellipse.
2. Containing or characterized by ellipsis.
3. 1. Of or relating to extreme economy of oral or written expression.
   2. Marked by deliberate obscurity of style or expression.

[New Latin ellīpticus, from Greek elleiptikos, defective, from elleipsis, a falling short, ellipsis. See ellipsis.]

elliptically el·lip'ti·cal·ly adv.

(i-LIP-ti-kuhl)
adjective (also elliptic)
1. Pertaining to or having the shape of an ellipse.
2. Marked by ellipsis (omitting words).
3. Characterized by extreme economy of expression in speech or writing; cryptic or ambiguous.

Etymology
From Greek elleiptikos (defective), from elleipsis (to come short), from leipein (to leave). The word eclipse has the same root.

Usage
"What did he and the truck earn in a typical year? A good year? His responses were strictly elliptical." — John Mcphee; A Fleet of One; The New Yorker; Feb 17, 2003.

"He (Warren Beatty) has written a somewhat elliptical piece for the New York Times condemning the grip of big money on American politics, and has another piece coming out in the Los Angeles Times." — Warren Beatty's Profession; Economist (London, UK); Sep 4, 1999.

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adj

Definition: terse
Antonyms: clear, direct

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IN BRIEF: Shaped like an oval. Also: Of, relating to, or marked by three periods in a row.

Tim's English teacher was impressed by his skillful use of elliptical marks to shorten the lengthy quotation.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - ellipseformet, oval, elliptisk

Français (French)
adj. - elliptique

Deutsch (German)
adj. - elliptisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ελλειπτικός

Italiano (Italian)
ellittico

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - elíptico

Русский (Russian)
эллиптический, туманный, краткий, сжатый

Español (Spanish)
adj. - elíptico

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - elliptisk

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
椭圆的, 省略的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 橢圓的, 省略的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 타원의, 생략법의

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 長円の, 省略法の, 楕円形の, 省略の, 分かりにくい

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮סגלגל, מכיל השמטה‬

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