hyperbola

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US/haɪˈpɚ.bə.lə/

noun

A conic section formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane that intersects the base of the cone and is not tangent to the cone. The function y(x) = 1/x draws a hyperbola.

OriginNew Latin hyperbola ← Ancient Greek ὑπερβολή (huperbolḗ) ← Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō →
UncommonScrabble 19
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Meanings

nounhyperbola (plural hyperbolas or hyperbolae or hyperbolæ)

plural hyperbolas · plural hyperbolae · plural hyperbolæ

  1. geometryA conic section formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane that intersects the base of the cone and is not tangent to the cone. The function y(x) = 1/x draws a hyperbola.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Hellenic*hupér
  4. Ancient Greekῠ̔πέρ (hŭpér)
  5. Ancient Greekὑπερ- (huper-)
  6. Proto-Indo-European*gʷelH-
  7. Proto-Hellenic*gʷəlnō
  8. Ancient Greekβάλλω (bállō)
  9. Ancient Greekὑπερβάλλω (huperbállō)
  10. Ancient Greekὑπερβολή (huperbolḗ)
  11. New Latinhyperbola
  12. Englishhyperbola

From New Latin hyperbola, from Ancient Greek ὑπερβολή (huperbolḗ). Doublet of hyperbole.

More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic قَطْعٌ زَائِد, هَذْلُول
  • قَطْعٌ زَائِد (qaṭʕun zāʔid)geometric curve
  • هَذْلُول (haḏlūl)geometric curve
Bengali অধিবৃত্ত
  • অধিবৃত্ত (odhibritto)geometric curve
Bulgarian хипе́рбола
  • хипе́рбола (hipérbola)geometric curve
Catalan hipèrbola, hipèrbole
  • hipèrbolageometric curve
  • hipèrbolegeometric curve
Chinese Mandarin 雙曲線 /双曲线
  • 雙曲線 /双曲线 (shuāngqūxiàn)geometric curve
Czech hyperbola, nadbytnice
  • hyperbolageometric curve
  • nadbytnicegeometric curve
  • převrchnicegeometric curve
Danish hyperbel
  • hyperbelgeometric curve
Dutch hyperbool
  • hyperboolgeometric curve
Esperanto hiperbolo
  • hiperbologeometric curve
Finnish hyperbeli
  • hyperbeligeometric curve
French hyperbole
  • hyperbolegeometric curve
German Hyperbel
  • Hyperbelgeometric curve
Greek υπερβολή
  • υπερβολή (ypervolí)geometric curve
Hebrew הִיפֵּרבּוֹלָה
  • הִיפֵּרבּוֹלָה (hiperbola)geometric curve
Hindi अतिपरवलय
  • अतिपरवलय (atipravlay)geometric curve
Hungarian hiperbola
  • hiperbolageometric curve
Icelandic breiðbogi, gleiðbogi
  • breiðbogigeometric curve
  • gleiðbogigeometric curve
Irish hipearbóil
  • hipearbóilgeometric curve
Italian iperbole
  • iperbolegeometric curve
Japanese 双曲線
  • 双曲線 (sōkyokusen)geometric curve
Korean 쌍곡선
  • 쌍곡선 (ssanggokseon)geometric curve
Māori pūwerewere
  • pūwereweregeometric curve
Norwegian Bokmål hyperbel
  • hyperbelgeometric curve
Persian هذلولی
  • هذلولی (hozluli)geometric curve
Polish hiperbola
  • hiperbolageometric curve
Portuguese hipérbole
  • hipérbolegeometric curve
Romanian hiperbolă
  • hiperbolăgeometric curve
Russian гипе́рбола
  • гипе́рбола (gipérbola)geometric curve
Slovak hyperbola
  • hyperbolageometric curve
Spanish hipérbola
  • hipérbolageometric curve
Swedish hyperbel
  • hyperbelgeometric curve
Thai ไฮเพอร์โบลา
  • ไฮเพอร์โบลา (hai-pəə-boo-lâa)geometric curve
Turkish hiperbol
  • hiperbolgeometric curve
Ukrainian гіпе́рбола
  • гіпе́рбола (hipérbola)geometric curve
Vietnamese hypecbon
  • hypecbongeometric curve
Welsh hyperbola
  • hyperbolageometric curve
Cite this entry
APA

hyperbola. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hyperbola

MLA

“hyperbola.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hyperbola. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hyperbola,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hyperbola.

Source: hyperbola on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.