elliptic

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

adjective (of a leaf shape) in the form of an ellipse
adjective rounded like an egg
adjective characterized by extreme economy of expression or omission of superfluous elements; ; - H.O.Taylor

From Ancient Greek ἐλλειπτικός (elleiptikós), from ἐλλείπω (elleípō, “I leave out, omit”). By surface analysis, ellipse + -tic.

Immersed in a subject with which they were all familiar, they were allusive, elliptic, and persistently technical. — The Riddle of the Sands, Erskine Childers
The elliptic form of speech was sometimes adopted by Heldon Foyle in discussing affairs with one whose alertness of brain he could depend upon. — The Grell Mystery, Frank Froest
He was a distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the University of Königsberg and Berlin from 1825, and, together with Abel, made his epoch-making discoveries in the field of elliptic functions. — Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ, Aaron Bernstein

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