Chapter Cursed to Cushat of C by Webster's Dictionary (1913 Edition)

2. (Geom.) A line described according to some low, and having no finite portion of it a straight line.

Axis of a curve. See under Axis. — Curve of quickest descent. See Brachystochrone. — Curve tracing (Math.), the process of determining the shape, location, singular points, and other peculiarities of a curve from its equation. — Plane curve (Geom.), a curve such that when a plane passes through three points of the curve, it passes through all the other points of the curve. Any other curve is called a curve of double curvature, or a twisted curve.

Curve
(Curve), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Curved (k?rvd); p. pr. & vb. n. Curving.] [L. curvare., fr. curvus. See Curve, a., Curb.] To bend; to crook; as, to curve a line; to curve a pipe; to cause to swerve from a straight course; as, to curve a ball in pitching it.

Curve
(Curve), v. i. To bend or turn gradually from a given direction; as, the road curves to the right.

Curvedness
(Curv"ed*ness) n. The state of being curved.

Curvet
(Cur"vet) n. [OE. corvet, It. corvetta: cf. F. courbette. See Curve, and cf. Corvetto.]

1. (Man.) A particular leap of a horse, when he raises both his fore legs at once, equally advanced, and, as his fore legs are falling, raises his hind legs, so that all his legs are in the air at once.

2. A prank; a frolic.

Curvet
(Cur"vet), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Curveted or -vetted; p. pr. & vb. n. Curveting or -vetting.] [Cf. It. corvettare. See Curvet, n.]

1. To make a curvet; to leap; to bound. "Oft and high he did curvet." Drayton.

2. To leap and frisk; to frolic. Shak.

Curvet
(Cur"vet), v. t. To cause to curvet. Landor.

Curvicaudate
(Cur`vi*cau"date) a. [L. curvus bent + E. caudate.] (Zoöl.) Having a curved or crooked tail.

Curvicostate
(Cur`vi*cos"tate) a. [L. curvus + E. costate.] (Bot.) Having bent ribs.

Curvidentate
(Cur`vi*den"tate) a. [L. curvus + E. dentate.] Having curved teeth.

Curviform
(Cur"vi*form) a. [L. curvus + -form.] Having a curved form.

Curvilinead
(Cur`vi*lin"e*ad) n. (Geom.) An instrument for drawing curved lines.

Curvilineal
(Cur`vi*lin"e*al) Curvilinear
(Cur`vi*lin"e*ar) a. [L. curvus bent + E. lineal, linear.] Consisting of, or bounded by, curved lines; as, a curvilinear figure.

Curvilinearity
(Cur`vi*lin`e*ar"i*ty) n. The state of being curvilinear or of being bounded by curved lines.

Curvilinearly
(Cur`vi*lin"e*ar*ly) adv. In a curvilinear manner.

Curvinerved
(Cur"vi*nerved`) a. [L. curvus bent + E. nerve. ] (Bot.) Having the ribs or the veins of the leaves curved; — called also curvinervate and curve-veined.

Curvirostral
(Cur`vi*ros"tral) a. [L. curvus + E. rostral.] (Zoöl.) Having a crooked beak, as the crossbill.

Curvirostres
(||Cur"vi*ros"tres) n. pl. [NL., fr. L. curvus curved + rostrum beak, rostrum.] (Zoöl.) A group of passerine birds, including the creepers and nuthatches.