limaçon
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limaçon
(ˈlɪməˌsɒn)n
(Mathematics) a heart-shaped curve generated by a point lying on a line at a fixed distance from the intersection of the line with a fixed circle, the line rotating about a point on the circumference of the circle
[French, literally: snail (so named by Pascal)]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
lim•a•çon
(ˈlɪm əˌsɒn)n.
a plane curve generated by the locus of a point on a line at a fixed distance from the point of intersection of the line with a fixed circle, as the line revolves about a point on the circumference of the circle. Equation: r = a cosθ + b.
[1575–85; < French: literally, snail, Old French, derivative of limaz < Latin līmācem, acc. of līmāx snail, slug]
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