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curvature

curvature [ kúrvəchər ]


noun 
Definition:
 
1. being curved: the quality of being curved

2. degree of curve: the degree of curving in a line or surface
the slight curvature of the land

3. mathematics reciprocal of radius: the reciprocal of the radius of the circle that best matches a curve at a given point

[15th century. < Latin curvatura 'bending' < curvus 'curved']
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