nounWord forms: plural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)a conic section formed by a plane that cuts both bases of a cone; it consists of two branches asymptotic to two intersecting fixed lines and has two foci. Standard equation: x2/a2 – y2/b2 = 1 where 2a is the distance between the two intersections with the x-axis and b = a√(e2 – 1), where e is the eccentricity
Word origin
C17: from Greek
huperbolē, literally: excess, extravagance, from
hyper- +
ballein to throw