Well-read · Science & thinking
Asymptote: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Asymptote noun. A line that a curve approaches ever more closely but never actually meets.
How to say it
AS-im-toht/ˈasɪm(p)təʊt/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (AS). Forms: asymptotic.
Asymptote in a sentence
My savings creep towards a house deposit like a curve hugging its asymptote: closer every month, never there.
On the graph, the dotted line is the asymptote the curve can never touch.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- limit
Where asymptote comes from
From Greek asumptōtos, not falling together.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
On the graph, the dotted line is the _____ the curve can never touch.
- heuristic
- asymptote
- teleology
Show the answer
asymptote: On the graph, the dotted line is the asymptote the curve can never touch.