tractrix

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noun

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.

Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nountractrix (plural tractrices)

plural tractrices

  1. geometryA 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.

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish traktriks, traktrix
  • traktrikscurve
  • traktrixcurve
French tractrice
  • tractricecurve
German Traktrix
  • Traktrixcurve
Italian trattrice
  • trattricecurve
Polish traktrysa, traktoria
  • traktrysacurve
  • traktoriacurve
Spanish tractriz
  • tractrizcurve
Cite this entry
APA

tractrix. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tractrix

MLA

“tractrix.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tractrix. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tractrix,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tractrix.

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