curve

See also: curvé

English

Etymology

From Latin curvus (“bent, curved”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɜːv/, [ˈkʰɜːv]
• IPA^(key): /kɝv/, [ˈkʰɝv]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)v

Adjective

curve

1. (obsolete) Bent without angles; crooked; curved.

   a curve line

   a curve surface

Translations

crooked — see crooked

Noun

curve (plural curves)

1. A gentle bend, such as in a road.

   You should slow down when approaching a curve.

2. A simple figure containing no straight portions and no angles; a curved line.

   She scribbled a curve on the paper.

3. A grading system based on the scale of performance of a group used to normalize a right-skewed grade distribution (with more lower scores) into a bell curve, so that more can receive higher grades, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject.

   The teacher was nice and graded the test on a curve.

4. (analytic geometry) A continuous map from a one-dimensional space to a multidimensional space.
5. (geometry) A one-dimensional figure of non-zero length; the graph of a continuous map from a one-dimensional space.
6. (algebraic geometry) An algebraic curve; a polynomial relation of the planar coordinates.
7. (topology) A one-dimensional continuum.
8. (informal, usually in the plural) The attractive shape of a woman's body.

Derived terms

terms derived from curve (noun)

• algebraic curve
• Bézier curve
• closed curve
• cosine curve
• curvaceous
• curvy
• dragon curve
• elliptic curve
• horseshoe curve
• Jordan curve
• learning curve
• Lissajous curve
• multicurve
• nonsimple curve
• open curve
• pedal curve
• plane curve
• pursuit curve
• simple curve
• sine curve
• space curve
• spherical curve
• throw a curve
• throw someone a curve

 

Translations

gentle bend

• Afrikaans: kurwe
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Basque: kurba (eu)
• Bulgarian: извивка (bg) f (izvivka)
• Catalan: revolt (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 曲線／曲线 (zh), 曲线 (zh) (qūxiàn), 彎子／弯子 (zh) (wānzi), 弯子 (zh) (wānzi)

• Czech: ohyb (cs)
• Dutch: curve (nl) f, kromming (nl) f, (road) bocht (nl) m
• Esperanto: kurbo, kurbiĝo, sinuo, ĝirejo, (road) vojturno
• Finnish: kaarre (fi), kurvi (fi), mutka (fi)
• French: courbe (fr) f
• German: Kurve (de) f
• Greek: καμπύλη (el) f (kampýli)

  Ancient: καμπή f (kampḗ)

• Hebrew: עקימה f ('aqima)
• Ido: kurvo (io)
• Indonesian: lengkungan (id)
• Italian: curva (it) f
• Japanese: 曲線 (ja) (きょくせん, kyokusen)
• Khmer: របត់ (km) (rɔbɑt)
• Latin: curvāmen n, flexus m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latvian: līkums m
• Lithuanian: linkis m, vingis m
• Macedonian: сви́ок m (svíok)
• Maori: ānau
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kurve (no) m

  Nynorsk: kurve f

• Persian: پیچ (fa) (pič)
• Polish: zakręt (pl) m
• Portuguese: curva (pt)
• Romanian: curbă (ro) f, curbe (ro) f pl
• Russian: изги́б (ru) m (izgíb), крива́я (ru) f (krivája), поворо́т (ru) m (povorót)
• Scottish Gaelic: bogha, lùb f
• Spanish: curva (es) f
• Swedish: kurva (sv) c
• Telugu: వంపు (te) (vampu)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: kıvrım (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

curved line

• Finnish: käyrä (fi)
• German: Kurve (de) f
• Maori: ānau
• Navajo: ahééʼídzoh
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kurve (no) m

  Nynorsk: kurve f

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: منحنی (fa) (monhani)
• Portuguese: curva (pt) f
• Romanian: curbă (ro) f
• Russian: крива́я (ru) f (krivája)
• Spanish: curva (es)
• Tagalog: kilo, guhit na kilo

geometry: one-dimensional figure

• Afrikaans: kurwe
• Bulgarian: крива (bg) f (kriva)
• Catalan: corba (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 曲線／曲线 (zh), 曲线 (zh) (qūxiàn)

• Czech: křivka (cs) f
• Danish: kurve (da) c
• Dutch: curve (nl) f, kromme (nl) f
• Esperanto: kurbo
• Finnish: kaari (fi), käyrä (fi)
• French: courbe (fr) f
• Georgian: წირი (c̣iri), მრუდი (mrudi)
• German: Linie (de) f
• Greek: καμπύλη (el) f (kampýli)
• Hungarian: görbe (hu)
• Ido: kurvo (io)
• Indonesian: kurva (id)
• Italian: curva (it) f
• Japanese: 曲線 (ja) (きょくせん, kyokusen)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latvian: līkne f
• Lithuanian: kreivė f
• Macedonian: кри́ва f (kríva)
• Navajo: ahééʼídzoh
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kurve (no) m

  Nynorsk: kurve f

• Persian: خم (fa) (xam)
• Polish: krzywa (pl) f
• Portuguese: curva (pt) f
• Romanian: curbă (ro) f, linie curbă f, linie curbată f
• Russian: крива́я (ru) f (krivája)
• Scottish Gaelic: bogha f, lùb f
• Slovene: krivulja f
• Spanish: curva (es) f
• Swedish: kurva (sv) c
• Tagalog: kilo
• Turkish: eğri (tr)
• Zazaki: çewt f

algebraic curve — see algebraic curve

informal: usually in plural: attractive features of a woman or informal: attractive shape of a woman's body

• Afrikaans: kurwe
• Bulgarian: извивки (bg) pl (izvivki)
• Catalan: corbes (ca) f pl
• Danish: kurver pl
• Dutch: rondingen (nl) m pl, figuur (nl) f
• Finnish: kurvi (fi), kurvit pl
• French: courbes (fr)
• Greek: καμπύλη (el) f (kampýli), καμπύλες f pl (kampýles)
• Hebrew: חיטובים m pl (khit'uvym)
• Italian: (usually plural) curva (it) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: о́блина f (óblina), о́блини f pl (óblini)
• Portuguese: curvas (pt) f pl
• Russian: изги́б (ru) m (izgíb) (usually plural: изги́бы m pl (izgíby))
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: облине f pl, облѝна f

  Roman: obline (sh) f pl, oblìna (sh) f

• Spanish: curvas (es) f pl
• Swedish: kurva (sv) c (usually plural), figur (sv) c (usually singular)
• Telugu: వంపులు (vampulu), వొంపులు (vompulu)
• Turkish: kıvrım (tr)

Verb

1. (transitive) To bend; to crook.

   to curve a line

   to curve a pipe

2. (transitive) To cause to swerve from a straight course.

   to curve a ball in pitching it

3. (intransitive) To bend or turn gradually from a given direction.

   the road curves to the right

4. To grade on a curve (bell curve of a normal distribution).

   The teacher will curve the test.

5. (slang) To reject, to turn down romantic advances

Translations

bend, crook

• Bulgarian: извивам (bg) (izvivam), изкривявам (bg) (izkrivjavam)
• Dutch: krommen (nl), (pipe) plooien (nl), buigen (nl)
• Finnish: käyristää (fi)
• French: courber (fr)
• Georgian: ღუნვა (ɣunva)
• German: biegen (de), verbiegen (de)
• Hindi: मोड़ना (hi) (moṛnā)
• Irish: cuar
• Italian: curvare (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 구부리다 (ko) (guburida)
• Macedonian: ви́тка (vítka), сви́ткува (svítkuva), искри́вува (iskrívuva)
• Portuguese: curvar (pt), envergar (pt)
• Russian: изгиба́ть (ru) (izgibátʹ), гнуть (ru) (gnutʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: crom, lùb
• Spanish: curvar (es), encorvar (es)
• Swedish: böja (sv), kröka (sv)
• Turkish: bükmek (tr), eğilmek (tr), eğmek (tr), kıvırmak (tr), kıvrılmak (tr)

cause to swerve from a straight course

• Portuguese: curvar (pt)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

bend or turn gradually from a given direction

• Bulgarian: извивам се (izvivam se)
• Dutch: afbuigen (nl)
• Finnish: kaartaa (fi)
• Georgian: გაღუნვა (gaɣunva)
• Ido: kurveskar (io)
• Irish: cuar
• Italian: curvare (it)
• Japanese: 曲がる (ja) (まがる, magaru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Khmer: បត់ (km) (bɑt)
• Korean: 구부러지다 (ko) (gubureojida)
• Macedonian: се и́звива (se ízviva)
• Portuguese: curvar (pt)
• Russian: изгиба́ться (ru) (izgibátʹsja), гну́ться (ru) (gnútʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: lùb
• Swedish: böja (sig) (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} kurva (id)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• cruve

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Dutch

Etymology

From Latin curvus (“bent, curved”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cur‧ve

Noun

curve f (plural curven or curves, diminutive curvetje n)

1. curve: curved line

Derived terms

• aanbodcurve
• vraagcurve

 

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Italian

Adjective

curve

1. (deprecated template usage) Feminine plural of adjective curvo.

Noun

curve f

1. plural of curva

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈkur.u̯e/, [ˈkʊru̯ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkur.ve/, [ˈkurve]

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) curve

1. vocative masculine singular of curvus

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Portuguese

Verb

curve

1. Template:pt-verb-form-of

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Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkurve]

Noun

curve f

1. plural of curvă

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkuɾbe/ [ˈkuɾ.β̞e]

Verb

curve

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of curvar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of curvar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of curvar.