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Glite Dictionary
8️⃣ A double loop ⛸️ A skating pattern 🪢 A stopper knot
figure eight

figure eight

1 2.8
A flat shape with two loops joined like the number eight
  • noun
  • /ˈfɪɡjər eɪt/
translation icon : ocho
  • How does the kite pull a vehicle around a figure-eight track, given a constant wind direction?

Examples

  • If you use a figure-eight track, the crossover point limits you as to how many of these vehicles can be pulled by kites around the same track.

    Blog text (22)

  • First, I saw the blue sign of Erewhon, the river twisting into a figure eight, an infinity symbol, then the self-devouring serpent I had admired at the tattooist's.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Just imagine a kid standing on the beach flying a figure eight.

    Blog text (22)

  • So the kites can fly in figure eights and probably can pull the cars in either direction.

    Blog text (22)

  • I dreamed of the toy train running its figure eight, a man's hands, white as marble, going to it, and I woke gasping.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Conversely, a steered kite under strong wind pressure will pull a vehicle through a figure eight or round track continuously.

    Blog text (22)

  • A hoopsnake had caught a smaller zooid in its loop, then twisted into a figure eight to strangle it.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The developers of the system say a kite flying in a figure-eight or sine-wave flight pattern can generate a pulling power of up to 10 kilonewtons.

    Blog text (22)

  • The kite flew gracefully in a figure eight pattern across the blue sky.

  • The garden design included a pathway in the shape of a figure eight surrounded by flowers.

Synonyms

figure 8
vsfigure eight
1 3.6

A shape made of two loops that cross in the middle like the number eight

is the same two-loop shape but stresses the loops joined together
figure of eight
vsfigure eight
4.8

A shape like the number eight made by one line crossing itself

is the same outline but described as two joined loops instead of one line
lemniscate
vsfigure eight
  • Specialized
9.9

A curve shaped like a figure eight often used in math

is the general two-loop shape used in nontechnical descriptions

Surface Forms

figure eight singular
figure eights plural

Morphology

figure + eight

The phrase directly combines 'figure' (shape) + 'eight' (the numeral) to denote a shape resembling the digit 8, and the knot meaning is a straightforward descriptive extension of that shape. This compositional, cross-linguistically common naming pattern makes the MWE readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Figure eight comes from the written number eight, which looks like two joined loops. That's why it means 'a shape with two connected loops'.