tractrix

English

Etymology

Formed after tractor, as if from a Latin *tractrīx (from trahō (“to pull”) +‎ -trīx).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

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Noun

tractrix (plural tractrices)

1. (geometry) A curve that satisfies the following property: that segment of the tangent line that lies between the point of tangency and a fixed line has length independent of the point of tangency chosen.

Translations

curve

Finnish: traktriks, traktrix French: tractrice (fr) f German: Traktrix f Ido: traktrico (io) Italian: trattrice f Polish: traktrysa f, traktoria f Spanish: tractriz f

Further reading

• tractrix on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• “tractrix, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.