Meanings
plural Didonias
- geometryThe curve which on a given surface and with a given perimeter contains the greatest area.
And hence, by Meusnier's theorem, the difference of the squares of the curvatures of curve and surface is constant; the curvature of the surface meaning here the reciprocal of the radius of the sphere which osculates in the reduction of the element of the Didonia.
1867, Peter Guthrie Tait, An Elementary Treatise on Quaternions
Origin
In allusion to the classical story of Queen Dido, who was granted the land she could encompass with a piece of bull hide.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Didonia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Didonia
“Didonia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Didonia. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Didonia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Didonia.
Source: Didonia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.