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Glite Dictionary
semiminor axis

semiminor axis

8.7
Half the length from the center to the edge along an ellipse's shortest diameter
  • noun
  • /ˌsɛmɪˈmaɪnər ˈæksɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : semieje menor
  • The semiminor axis measures three centimeters.

Examples

  • In this equation, the semiminor axis determines the ellipse's width.

  • You can find the area of the ellipse using both the semimajor and semiminor axis.

  • The astronomer calculated the semiminor axis of the planet's orbit around the star.

  • What is the semiminor axis of this ellipse?

  • In an ellipse, the semiminor axis is always shorter than the semimajor axis.

  • To calculate the area of an ellipse, you need to know both the semiminor axis and the semimajor axis.

  • The distance from the center of the ellipse to the edge along the semiminor axis determines its width.

Surface Forms

semiminor axis singular
semiminor axes plural

Morphology

semiminor + axis

Although 'semiminor' is not listed separately, the phrase is compositionally built from the prefix 'semi-' (half) + 'minor' (smaller) + 'axis' (line), so the meaning 'half of the minor axis' is directly derivable. A B1 learner who knows the prefix 'semi', the adjective 'minor' and the noun 'axis' can plausibly infer this technical sense; similar formations occur across languages, supporting transparency.

Etymology

The noun semiminor axis comes from semi, meaning 'half', and minor axis, meaning 'the shorter line through the middle of an oval'. Imagine a straight line from the center of an oval to its edge along the shortest direction. That line is the semiminor axis, so the name literally means 'half the minor axis'.