ovaladj.²n.¹

Brit.

/ˈəʊvl/, U.S.

/ˈoʊv(ə)l/

Forms: 1500s ovalle, 1500s–1600s oual, 1500s–1600s ouale, 1500s–1600s ovall, 1500s– oval, 1600s ouall; also Scottish pre-1700 ovaill, pre-1700 ovell.

Origin: Probably of multiple origins. Probably partly a borrowing from French. Probably partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French ovale; Latin ovalis.

Etymology: Probably partly < Middle French, French ovale of oval shape (1377), (as noun) an oval shape (1558; < classical Latin ōvum ovum n. + Middle French -ale -al suffix¹), and partly < post-classical Latin ovalis oval, egg-shaped (1267, 1686 in British sources), relating to eggs (13th cent. in a British source) < classical Latin ōvum ovum n. + -ālis -al suffix¹. Compare Italian ovale (a1455), Spanish óvale (c1640; < Italian), German oval (early 17th cent.).The classical Latin word for ‘egg-shaped’ was ōvātus ovate adj.

A. adj.²

a. Having a form or outline which is bounded by a smooth curve having no concave parts, longer along one axis and rounded at each end; esp. having a shape of this kind which is symmetrical about two perpendicular axes, with the length not greatly exceeding the breadth; broad and elliptical. Occasionally: (spec. in narrower sense) having the outline of an egg as projected on a surface, broader towards one end (cf. ovate adj. a).It is sometimes said that the term oval should, on etymological grounds, be restricted to the narrower sense, ‘egg-shaped’ (cf. quot. 1905 at sense B. 1a), but usage does not reflect this. The shape regarded as typically oval is a broad ellipse; the term may occasionally be applied to elongated roundish shapes with straight or even slightly convex sides.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > roundness > [adjective] > oval or elliptical

avelong1440

wrongc1440

oval1561

ellipsical1571

elliptical1656

round-long1663

elliptic1715

ovated1752

ovate1760

ovoid1776

ellipsoidal1831

dromic1850

oliviform1857

ellipsoid1861

vesical1865

dromical1875

1561 in T. Thomson Coll. Inventories Royal Wardrobe (1815) 135 Ane bed of crammosie broun velvot..with sum histories maid in the figure ovaill.

1612 B. Jonson Alchemist ii. ii. sig. D2^v Mine Oual Roome, Fill'd with such pictures, as Tiberius tooke From Elephantis.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 95 The Caspian Sea is..in forme Ouall.

1662 S. Pepys Diary 3 Feb. (1970) III. 22 An ovall form in an Ovall hole.

1716 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 14 Sept. (1965) I. 268 At proper distances were plac'd 3 oval Pictures.

1751 R. Paltock Life Peter Wilkins II. ix. 97 At the further End of this Gallery I entered by an Arch..into an oval Room.

1793 T. Martyn Lang. Bot. sig. N3^v An Oval leaf has nearly the same proportion with the section of a hen's egg; although it has not the difference of curvature at the two extremities which that and the Ovate leaf have.

1802 W. Paley Nat. Theol. i. 4 Does one man in a million know how oval frames are turned?

1835 M. Somerville On Connexion Physical Sci. (ed. 2) i. 7 The planets describe ellipses, or oval paths, round the sun.

1876 W. E. Griffis Mikado's Empire (ed. 2) ii. 29 The fine, long, oval face, with prominent, well-chiselled features.

1912 H. S. Jones Compan. Rom. Hist. i. 3 They formed villages of half-buried circular or oval huts with a central hearth.

1991 Food & Wine Apr. 76/2 Rectangular and oval tables are traditional and grand.

b. Having an oval or elliptical shape in cross-section (cf. oval wire nail n. at Compounds 3).

ΚΠ

1850 Debow's Rev. Aug. 231 Hair is, in shape, either cylindrical or oval; but wool is eccentrically elliptical or flat.

a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. II. 1582/1 Oval File, a file whose cross-section is elliptical or oval. Used sometimes as a gulleting file.

1889 Harper's Mag. July 248/1 For flint-glass the crucible, or ‘monkey-pots’, are usually oval cylinders with a rounded covering opening only on the top of one side.

1968 Hesperia 37 318 The water was then carried off..to be stored in an underground cistern which has an oval shaft, 3.95 m. deep.

1990 Canoe Aug. 66/1 The oval shaft and T-grip handle [sc. of a paddle] are designed to provide control.

2. Of a solid or three-dimensional surface: egg-shaped, or approximately egg-shaped; esp. ellipsoidal. Cf. ovate adj. b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [adjective] > spherical or globular > spheroidal > oval, ovoid, or ellipsoidal

oval1585

egg-like1599

ovalish1684

oviform1684

subovate1752

egg-shaped1767

almond-shapeda1771

subovated1773

ovicular1774

ovate1775

ovoid1776

egg-oblong1796

subovoid1819

ovaliform1826

ovoidal1828

ellipsoidal1831

amygdaloid1835

ooidal1836

oliviform1857

ovoid-shaped1860

ellipsoid1861

ovaloid1890

1585 J. Dee Jrnl. in True & Faithful Relation Spirits (1659) i. 398 She standeth as in a hollow shell, or Oval figure concave.

1599 T. Moffett Silkewormes 18 [They] spinne silke..Leauing their oual bottoms there behind.

1676 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 11 736 These spherical and oval stones are most exact in their figure.

1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis (1694) i. iv. 75 Some few [eggs] are perfectly Oval, i.e. with both ends defined with two equal Ellipses: but most are Conical, or with one end sharper than the other.

1693 J. Edwards Disc. conc. Old & New-Test. I. vii. 264 It was from the Oval or Round Figure of the World that they represented it by an Egg.

1756 T. Amory Life John Buncle I. 341 The colour of its oval body [sc. a kind of spider] is a blueish black.

1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) I. 531 Suspending..sometimes the oval date, and sometimes the rounded cocoa-nut.

1842 Z. Thompson Hist. Vermont i. 30/1 [Genus Mustela] Body long and cylindrical; head small and oval.

1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. I. 292/1 Of the cultivated varieties [of the Citron] some are oval, others round... The Lemon..Fruit oval or ovate.

1953 R. W. Fairbrother Text-bk. Bacteriol. (ed. 7) ii. 21 The position of the spore may be either central (equatorial), subterminal or terminal, and its shape spherical or oval.

1992 Canad. Living 1 Dec. 96/1 For best results, use long oval baking potatoes and a ricer or masher.

†3. Of or relating to an egg or eggs. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > reproductive substances or cells > [adjective] > ovum

oval1646

ovarious1730

oviferous1828

ovular1848

ovulary1848

ovuliferous1848

multiovular1849

multiovulate1857

ovigenous1872

moruloid1880

ovuligerous1888

ovoblastic1922

the world > food and drink > food > eggs > [adjective]

oval1884

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iii. vii. 121 Their ovall conceptions, or egges within their bodies.

1716 M. Davies Diss. Physick 5 in Athenæ Britannicæ III Generation by and in Oval Conceptions.

1884 Morning Herald (Reading, Pa.) 14 Apr. Never before probably was there so much done in the way of oval confectionery.

B. n.¹

a. A closed, rounded plane figure without concave portions, somewhat elongated in one direction; a curve enclosing this; esp. (in ordinary use) an ellipse having the length not greatly exceeding the breadth; (less commonly) a plane figure resembling the longitudinal section of an egg, broader towards one end. Also in extended use in Geometry: any closed plane curve (usually other than a circle or ellipse) which is everywhere concave towards the centre, or which lacks a node or cusp.carpenter's, Cartesian, Cassinian, conjugate oval: see the first element.See also note at sense A. 1a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > geometry > curve > [noun] > conic section > ellipse

egg-form1551

ellipsis1570

oval1570

ellipse1753

the world > relative properties > number > geometry > shape or figure > [noun] > two-dimensional > closed curve

oval1570

hysteresis loop1892

Jordan curve1900

1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. Math. Præf. sig. aiiij^v A Perfect Square, Triangle, Circle, Ouale..and such other Geometricall figures.

1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 31 The principall part thereof riseth in an ouall surrounded with pillars admirable for their proportion.

1795 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. (at cited word) Oval denotes also certain roundish figures, of various..shapes, among curve lines of the higher kinds.

c1865 Ld. Brougham in J. Wylde Circle of Sci. I. Introd. Disc. p. xii The planets move in ovals, from gravity.

1905 G. F. Goodchild & C. F. Tweney Technol. & Sci. Dict. 482/2 Oval, a closed curve of an egg shape, not to be confused with the ellipse. An oval is symmetrical only about its longer axis.

1993 Artist (BNC) Apr. 19 The egg shape is a clue to building in the sense of rhythm when drawing the small birds; you can practise drawing ovals and thus build up bird shapes.

b. Any of various things having an egg-shaped or (more usually) an elliptical or rounded and elongated outline.These include, for example, an oval cooking dish, an oval picture frame, an oval window, an elliptical piece of ground.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > roundness > [noun] > oval or elliptical quality > oval or elliptical object

oval1632

ellipse1850

society > communication > writing > written character > [noun] > hieroglyph > enclosure

cartouche1830

oval1877

1632 Edinb. Test. LV. f. 207^v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Ovaill Ane foure nuikit ovell and ane littill stamp..for stamping of buikis.

1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot iv. viii. 226 About his breast hung her Picture, set in a rich Ovall.

1677–8 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) III. 23 A new ouall to give light to the starecase.

1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. v. 90 The Oval b is fitted stiff upon the Staff c, that it may be set nearer or farther from the Tooth.

1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ii. 25 Take a large Oval, or a large Gravy-pan, lay Layers of Bacon, and then Layers of Beef all over the Bottom.

1755 Monitor No. 9 1 71 It is a fine political picture in miniature:..in an oval of an inch square.

a1811 R. Cumberland Last of Family (1813) v. 259 Per. A miniature?— Geo. A small oval—His lady had the fellow of it, and wore it as a locket.

1877 A. B. Edwards Thousand Miles up Nile vii. 183 The royal oval in which the name of Cleopatra (Klaupatra) is spelt with its vowel sounds in full.

1953 P. Gallico Foolish Immortals xxi. 122 The sensitive oval of her face.

1990 N.Y. Woman Apr. 48/1 All roads lead to the Oval, Stuyvesant Town's version of Main Street, a large grassy oval smack in the middle of things.

c. Geometry oval of Descartes n. a closed curve that is the locus of the vertex of a triangle opposite a fixed base, in which one of the sides is in a constant ratio with the sum or difference of the other side and a given number (also called Cartesian oval).

ΚΠ

1842 W. T. Brande Dict. Sci., Lit. & Art 863/2 The Ovals of Descartes are a species of geometrical curves... They may be defined as the locus of the vertex of a triangle on a given base, one of whose sides has a given ratio to the sum or difference of a given line and the other side.

1877 B. Williamson Elem. Treat. Integral Calculus (ed. 3) viii. §166 The Oval of Descartes..consists of two ovals, one lying inside the other.

1939 Amer. Math. Monthly 46 115 The proposer stated..that the envelope of the circles (Σ) in the general case is an oval of Descartes with F, the intersection of the axes x, y, as one focus.

1972 M. Kline Math. Thought xv. 315 He discovered that the curve generating the desired surface of revolution is an oval, now known as the oval of Descartes.

d. Sport. An oval sports ground; spec. (a) (with capital initial) the name of an oval cricket ground in Kennington, south London (opened in 1846), the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club; (b) (chiefly Australian) an oval ground on which Australian Rules football or cricket is played; (c) (chiefly U.S.) an oval ground with a track on its perimeter used for running, horse racing, or motorcycling.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricket ground > [noun] > specific

Lord's1823

oval1857

1857 Chambers's Information for People (new ed.) II. 686/1 The Surrey Club at the Kennington Oval..keep cricket going throughout the season.

1910 Blackwood's Mag. Jan. 89/1 On the Oval, Surrey..had snatched a victory by five runs.

1927 Daily Express 26 Mar. 9/2 The Prince of Wales..will..open a games oval.

1928 M. Arlen Lily Christine (1929) iii. 42 Her father..liked nothing so much as spending long afternoons at Lords' or the Oval.

1973 Sun-Herald (Sydney) 26 Aug. 15/4 Police were searching late tonight for two girls, who disappeared from the crowded Adelaide Oval while attending a football match with parents and friends.

1983 B. Willis Captain's Diary ii. 30 Made up for some of yesterday's excesses by skipping lunch and running ten laps of a neighbouring Oval.

1991 Sports Illustr. 3 June 8/2 He had ridden since 1945,..on practically every dirt oval from Florida to Maine.

†a. Roman History. Each of seven egg-shaped objects (in Latin called ova) used in the Roman circus to indicate the number of rounds run in a race. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > [noun] > ball indicating rounds run

oval1600

1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xli. xxvii. 1114 The Ovales [L. ova] to marke and skore up the number of courses.

1912 H. S. Jones Compan. Rom. Hist. ii. 138 The spina itself carried stands supporting six dolphins and six ova, one of which was removed as each lap of the race was completed.]

†b. Architecture. = ovum n. 2. Also (perhaps by confusion): = ovolo n. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > ornament on moulding

anchor1663

stud1686

oval1706

mirror1841

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Echinus This Ornament is now made use of in Cornices of the Ionick, Corinthian, and Composit Orders, being Carved with Anchors, Darts, and Ovals or Eggs.

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Oval In Architecture Oval or Ovolo is the same as Echinus.

c. gen. An egg-shaped or ellipsoidal solid or surface; an egg-shaped or ellipsoidal object, esp. the ball used in rugby or American football.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [noun] > sphericity or globularity > spheroidicity > spheroid > object

acornc1388

almonda1400

bean1561

egg1589

ovala1868

a1868 C. Harpur Poet. Wks. (1984) 958 A full row of pearls—all perfect ovals.

1898 P. Manson Trop. Dis. i. 25 The gradual evolution of the flagellated body from crescent through oval and sphere can with patience be easily followed.

1956 K. Clark Nude ix. 344 [Artists] have found it easier to compose harmoniously the larger units of a woman's torso;..they have discovered analogies with satisfying geometrical forms, the oval, the ellipsoid and the sphere.

1963 Times 13 June 13/3 In Rugby football no try could simply be converted; the oval had to be propelled through the uprights.

1987 Rugby World & Post Mar. 12/1 Seasoned internationals spilled the slippery oval like novices.

3. Woodworking. = oval wire nail n. at Compounds 3.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > nail > with thin circular head

wire nail1851

oval1988

1988 Woodworker Apr. 359/3 I suggest 1½ in ovals; hammer them into the centre of the bowl shape, as this is the section that will be gouged later.

1993 Guardian 25 Sept. (Weekend Suppl.) 63/4 A couple of packs of 3in and 4in ovals are useful to have in reserve.

Compounds

C1. Parasynthetic.

oval-arched adj.

ΚΠ

1851 Encycl. Americana XI. 380/1 The burrows are simply oval-arched galleries, running forward, either straight or in gentle curvatures.

1884 Littell's Living Age 12 Apr. 91/2 A magnificent oval-arched gateway.

2000 Independent 1 Oct. (Features) 48 This [garden] has enchanting tiered hedges of contrasting plants.., an oval-arched pergola, a swimming pool.

oval-bodied adj.

ΚΠ

1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 181 The greenish, oval-bodied Cochlea.

1879 J. J. Young Ceramic Art 24 Amphoræ—the Greek two-handled, oval-bodied vases with pointed base, which have been found wherever Greek commerce extended.

2000 Columbia Encycl. at Bean Beetle The adult is yellow, with black spots; the yellow, oval-bodied larva has forked spines.

† oval-bored adj. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 115 The gun has since been made two inches larger in the bore, and even oval-bored.

1865 Sci. Amer. 28 Oct. 272/1 Under that definition the internal sectional area of an oval bored gun must necessarily be larger than that of a grooved gun of the same nominal caliber.

oval-faced adj.

ΚΠ

1778 J. King in J. Cook Jrnl. 21 Apr. in Voy. ‘Resolution’ & ‘Discovery’ (1967) III. 1405 They are oval faced, with high cheek bones.

1886 J. Ruskin Præterita I. x. 326 A graceful oval-faced blonde of fifteen.

1976 J. Drummond Funeral Urn xxi. 109 They..looked alike, oval-faced, straight-nosed, small-mouthed.

† oval-figured adj. Obsolete rare

ΚΠ

1698 J. Keill Exam. Theory Earth (1734) 51 The Theorist's Oval-figured earth not being sufficient for such an effect.

oval-headed adj.

ΚΠ

1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 113 The great oval-headed Testudo.

1855 G. Emerson Farmer's & Planter's Encycl. Rural Affairs (new ed.) 249/2 Of each of these [varieties of savoy] there are likewise two sub-varieties, the round and the oval-headed.

1992 DIY do it Yourself Oct. 35/2 Use either cut floor brads or large oval-headed nails to secure loose boards.

oval-leaved adj.

ΚΠ

1751 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. II. 292 The oval-leaved Rhamnus.

1830 Withering's Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 7) IV. 101 Oval-leaved White Fucus,..F. ovatus.

1975 Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 102 142/1 The oval-leaved plants of C. rotundiflia var. rotundifolia, which have appressed pubescence, grade into the broadly oval-leaved C. rotundifolia var. vulgaris, which have spreading pubescence.

oval-shaped adj.

ΚΠ

1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Cucubalus The Pointal becomes a soft oval-shap'd Berry.

1884 Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 13 127 A flat and oval-shaped piece of hard wood tied to the end of a long piece of twine, which, when whirled in the air, makes a loud humming noise.

1998 G. Tyack Oxford: Archit. Guide 215 At the centre of the development there is an oval-shaped space densely planted with trees and shrubs.

† oval-visaged adj. Obsolete rare

ΚΠ

1689 London Gaz. No. 2483/4 One John Allen,..Oval-Visaged,..run away from his Master.

C2. Chiefly Botany. Prefixed to other adjectives to denote a form that is intermediate between, or a blend of, oval and another shape.

oval-elliptical adj.

ΚΠ

1847 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. (ed. 2) 404 Cal[yx] segments oval-elliptical, obtuse.

1998 Diversity & Distribution 4 10/1 Heracleum mantegazzianum..is a monocarpic perennial with..usually seven to ten umbels bearing oval-elliptical, broadly winged fruits 9–11 mm in size.

oval-globose adj.

ΚΠ

1847 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. (ed. 2) 163 Silicles oval-globose, half as long as the pedicel.

1989 Ann. Missouri Bot. Garden 76 624/2 Bulbs small, oval-globose, 0.75–1.5 cm. diam[eter].

oval-lanceolate adj.

ΚΠ

1845 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. 62 Sepals oval-lanceolate, striate.

1948 Amer. Midland Naturalist 40 604 Tegmina oval-lanceolate and about the length of the pronotum although macropterism sometimes occurs.

1993 Internat. Jrnl. Plant Sci. 154 211/1 Leaves are oval-lanceolate, 6–8 cm long and 1.5–2.0 cm wide, with bluntly acute apices.

oval-oblong adj.

ΚΠ

1829 J. Lindley Synopsis Brit. Flora 51 Leaves ovate or oval-oblong, obtuse.

1995 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 82 293/1 Underdeveloped embryos are either rudimentary (globular to oval-oblong) or linear (several times longer than broad).

oval-ovate adj.

ΚΠ

1845 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. 493 Cup deeply bowl-shaped, fringed on the edge; acorn oval-ovate.

1989 Ann. Missouri Bot. Garden 76 304/2 Banner [i.e. the standard petal of a leguminous flower] glabrous, oval-ovate, 15–17.5 mm long.

† oval-truncate adj. Obsolete rare

ΚΠ

1856 W. L. Lindsay Pop. Hist. Brit. Lichens 160 The spermogones are oval or oval-truncate.

C3.

oval chuck n. now rare a chuck in a lathe for turning items into an oval form.

ΚΠ

1813 J. Watt Let. in S. Smiles Men of Invention & Industry (1888) v. 148 I have not heard from you in reply to my letter about the lathe... An alteration for the better is making in the oval chuck.

a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. I. 549/1 The elliptic or oval chuck was invented by Abraham Sharp, and consists of three parts, the chuck, the slider, and the eccentric circle.

1912 Model Engineer 6 June 539/1 (title) An oval chuck for ornamental work.

oval compass n. a compass for drawing ovals or ellipses accurately.

ΚΠ

1868 Sci. Amer. 1 July 8/2 (caption) Bowly's patent oval compass.

1996 Which High Performance Inflatable Kayak to buy? in rec.boats.paddle (Usenet newsgroup) 6 Feb. Other companies will have to build an oval compass before they can even explore the quality lines Attila came up with.

† oval-engine n. Obsolete = oval lathe n.

ΚΠ

1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. xiv. 242 These Oval-Engines, Swash-Engines, and all other Engines.

1780 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 70 382 In the turning of ovals, the top of the rest which supports the tool is always made to pass through..the two centers round which the oval engine turns.

1864 S. Smiles Industr. Biogr. 257 We find Mr. Thomas Oldfield..named as an excellent maker of oval-engines.

oval lathe n. a lathe for turning items into an oval form.

ΚΠ

1779 J. Taylor Specif. Patent 1232 2 The turning of potts is performed by an oval lathe made for that purpose.

1873 Chambers's Encycl. X. 565/1 Such articles are then turned quite smooth on the inside, by means of a common lathe when they are circular, and by an oval lathe when they are oval like fish-pans.

1991 Guardian 8 Oct. The job was his when he told how he [sc. William Murdock] had invented an oval lathe on which to make the wooden hat.

oval nail n. = oval wire nail n.

ΚΠ

1986 F. Underwood & G. Warr in A. Limon et al. Home Owner Man. (ed. 2) ii. viii. 251 Usually, oval nails are chosen which will penetrate the battens by about 13 mm.

1992 Pract. Householder Aug. 40/1 Use oval nails to fix the cross braces..together.

Oval Office n. an oval-shaped room in the White House that is the private office of the U.S. President; (in extended use) the presidency or the executive branch of government of the United States.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > head of government > [noun] > in a republic > in U.S. > office or residence of U.S. president

white house1811

white house1855

Oval Office1965

1931 H. Hagedorn Leonard Wood II. xiii. 291 Wilson was in his oval office, standing near the door of the Cabinet room as Wood was announced.]

1965 L. P. Jones First Bk. White House 30 In 1909, seven years after the President's offices had been moved into the West Wing, the President's Oval Office was added.

1973 Times 18 June 1/6 Mr Krogh told him that the order for the break-in came ‘from the Oval Office’.

1977 Time 17 Jan. 16/1 With Carter in the Oval Office, the Democrats chose in Byrd a man well equipped to push the Administration's programs.

1992 Newsweek 4 May 60/3 It's the kind of thinking that seems to elude the Oval Office.

oval window n. Anatomy = fenestra ovalis at fenestra n. 1.

ΚΠ

1683 A. Snape Anat. Horse iii. xiv. 139 The third is called the Stirrop,..and is fixed..round that passage that is called the oval Window.

1718 J. Chamberlayne tr. B. Nieuwentyt Relig. Philosopher I. xiii. 249 There are yet two Openings in..the Drum [of the ear]: the first of 'em are called the Oval Window... The other is called the Round Window.

1876 Mind 1 269 The function of the stapedius is to lift the stirrup-plate from the oval window.

1989 J. Downer Supersense (BNC) 68 These bones amplify the sound eighteen times, mainly because they concentrate all the waves which reach the eardrum onto the much smaller oval window.

oval wire nail n. Woodworking a nail having an elliptical or oval cross-section so as to reduce the risk of splitting the wood.

ΚΠ

1945 W. B. McKay Carpentry ix. 196 Oval Wire Nails..are used for general purposes... They are obtainable in sizes varying from 1 to 6-in. and are sold by weight.

1993 Guardian 25 Sept. (Weekend Suppl.) 63/4 Although there are around 20 different types of nails and pins for different fixings, the most useful are the 1in and 2in bright steel oval wire nails.

Derivatives

ˈoval-wise adj. and adv. now rare (a) adj. forming an oval; (b) adv. so as to form an oval.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > roundness > [adverb] > in oval shape

evenlonga1475

oval-wise1612

1612 J. Speed Theatre of Empire of Great Brit. i. xxxiv. 65/1 For forme long and Oual-wise, doubling in length twice her breadth.

1625 W. Lisle tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Noe in tr. Part of Du Bartas 73 A young wood's whizzing boughs that..oual-wise bewal'd the flowre embossed field.

1670 Philos. Trans. 1669 (Royal Soc.) 4 1126 In that place is to be a great Bason, Octogonal Oval-wise, 200 fathoms long, and 150. fath. large; which shall be surrounded with 72. houses to be raised on Arches.

1925 J. G. Neihardt Coll. Poems (1926) 514 The yellow swelter blazed On fourteen wagon-beds set oval-wise—A small corral to hold the camp supplies.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	oval
释义	† ovaladj.¹n.² Forms: Middle English oual, 1600s oval. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin ovālis. Etymology: < classical Latin ovālis relating to an ovation (2nd cent. a.d.; especially in corōna ovālis the crown conferred on the recipient of an ovation) < ovāre to celebrate an ovation (see ovant adj.) + -ālis -al suffix¹. Roman History. Obsolete. A. adj.¹ Of or relating to the ovation traditionally awarded to a military commander on his entry into Rome. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > victory > [adjective] > celebrating victory triumphal1430 oval?a1439 triumphant1531 triumphous1546 ovant1598 ovatic1606 epinician1652 ovarya1682 epinicial1774 ovational1868 a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) iv. 288 The crowne also which callid was Oual Took first name of ioie and gladnesse. 1656 T. Blount Glossographia Oval, belonging to the triumph called Ovation. 1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus ii, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 106 The Triumphal Oval, and Civicall Crowns of Laurel, Oake, and Myrtle. B. n.² An oval crown, such as that conferred on the recipient of an ovation. rare. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military organization > insignia > [noun] > decorations or orders > crowns and wreaths naval crown?a1439 civil crowna1522 civic garland1542 obsidional crown1546 oval1614 civic crown1649 olive crown1679 crown-mure1682 rostral crown1686 stephane1847 1614 J. Sylvester Parl. Vertues Royall 768 Yet hundred Laurels never widow-curst, And hundred Ovals, which no skin hath burst; Prove I haue often Conquer'd without Thee. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online December 2020). ovaladj.²n.¹ Brit. /ˈəʊvl/, U.S. /ˈoʊv(ə)l/ Forms: 1500s ovalle, 1500s–1600s oual, 1500s–1600s ouale, 1500s–1600s ovall, 1500s– oval, 1600s ouall; also Scottish pre-1700 ovaill, pre-1700 ovell. Origin: Probably of multiple origins. Probably partly a borrowing from French. Probably partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French ovale; Latin ovalis. Etymology: Probably partly < Middle French, French ovale of oval shape (1377), (as noun) an oval shape (1558; < classical Latin ōvum ovum n. + Middle French -ale -al suffix¹), and partly < post-classical Latin ovalis oval, egg-shaped (1267, 1686 in British sources), relating to eggs (13th cent. in a British source) < classical Latin ōvum ovum n. + -ālis -al suffix¹. Compare Italian ovale (a1455), Spanish óvale (c1640; < Italian), German oval (early 17th cent.).The classical Latin word for ‘egg-shaped’ was ōvātus ovate adj. A. adj.² 1. a. Having a form or outline which is bounded by a smooth curve having no concave parts, longer along one axis and rounded at each end; esp. having a shape of this kind which is symmetrical about two perpendicular axes, with the length not greatly exceeding the breadth; broad and elliptical. Occasionally: (spec. in narrower sense) having the outline of an egg as projected on a surface, broader towards one end (cf. ovate adj. a).It is sometimes said that the term oval should, on etymological grounds, be restricted to the narrower sense, ‘egg-shaped’ (cf. quot. 1905 at sense B. 1a), but usage does not reflect this. The shape regarded as typically oval is a broad ellipse; the term may occasionally be applied to elongated roundish shapes with straight or even slightly convex sides. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > roundness > [adjective] > oval or elliptical avelong1440 wrongc1440 oval1561 ellipsical1571 elliptical1656 round-long1663 elliptic1715 ovated1752 ovate1760 ovoid1776 ellipsoidal1831 dromic1850 oliviform1857 ellipsoid1861 vesical1865 dromical1875 1561 in T. Thomson Coll. Inventories Royal Wardrobe (1815) 135 Ane bed of crammosie broun velvot..with sum histories maid in the figure ovaill. 1612 B. Jonson Alchemist ii. ii. sig. D2^v Mine Oual Roome, Fill'd with such pictures, as Tiberius tooke From Elephantis. View more context for this quotation 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 95 The Caspian Sea is..in forme Ouall. 1662 S. Pepys Diary 3 Feb. (1970) III. 22 An ovall form in an Ovall hole. 1716 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 14 Sept. (1965) I. 268 At proper distances were plac'd 3 oval Pictures. 1751 R. Paltock Life Peter Wilkins II. ix. 97 At the further End of this Gallery I entered by an Arch..into an oval Room. 1793 T. Martyn Lang. Bot. sig. N3^v An Oval leaf has nearly the same proportion with the section of a hen's egg; although it has not the difference of curvature at the two extremities which that and the Ovate leaf have. 1802 W. Paley Nat. Theol. i. 4 Does one man in a million know how oval frames are turned? 1835 M. Somerville On Connexion Physical Sci. (ed. 2) i. 7 The planets describe ellipses, or oval paths, round the sun. 1876 W. E. Griffis Mikado's Empire (ed. 2) ii. 29 The fine, long, oval face, with prominent, well-chiselled features. 1912 H. S. Jones Compan. Rom. Hist. i. 3 They formed villages of half-buried circular or oval huts with a central hearth. 1991 Food & Wine Apr. 76/2 Rectangular and oval tables are traditional and grand. b. Having an oval or elliptical shape in cross-section (cf. oval wire nail n. at Compounds 3). ΚΠ 1850 Debow's Rev. Aug. 231 Hair is, in shape, either cylindrical or oval; but wool is eccentrically elliptical or flat. a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. II. 1582/1 Oval File, a file whose cross-section is elliptical or oval. Used sometimes as a gulleting file. 1889 Harper's Mag. July 248/1 For flint-glass the crucible, or ‘monkey-pots’, are usually oval cylinders with a rounded covering opening only on the top of one side. 1968 Hesperia 37 318 The water was then carried off..to be stored in an underground cistern which has an oval shaft, 3.95 m. deep. 1990 Canoe Aug. 66/1 The oval shaft and T-grip handle [sc. of a paddle] are designed to provide control. 2. Of a solid or three-dimensional surface: egg-shaped, or approximately egg-shaped; esp. ellipsoidal. Cf. ovate adj. b. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [adjective] > spherical or globular > spheroidal > oval, ovoid, or ellipsoidal oval1585 egg-like1599 ovalish1684 oviform1684 subovate1752 egg-shaped1767 almond-shapeda1771 subovated1773 ovicular1774 ovate1775 ovoid1776 egg-oblong1796 subovoid1819 ovaliform1826 ovoidal1828 ellipsoidal1831 amygdaloid1835 ooidal1836 oliviform1857 ovoid-shaped1860 ellipsoid1861 ovaloid1890 1585 J. Dee Jrnl. in True & Faithful Relation Spirits (1659) i. 398 She standeth as in a hollow shell, or Oval figure concave. 1599 T. Moffett Silkewormes 18 [They] spinne silke..Leauing their oual bottoms there behind. 1676 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 11 736 These spherical and oval stones are most exact in their figure. 1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis (1694) i. iv. 75 Some few [eggs] are perfectly Oval, i.e. with both ends defined with two equal Ellipses: but most are Conical, or with one end sharper than the other. 1693 J. Edwards Disc. conc. Old & New-Test. I. vii. 264 It was from the Oval or Round Figure of the World that they represented it by an Egg. 1756 T. Amory Life John Buncle I. 341 The colour of its oval body [sc. a kind of spider] is a blueish black. 1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) I. 531 Suspending..sometimes the oval date, and sometimes the rounded cocoa-nut. 1842 Z. Thompson Hist. Vermont i. 30/1 [Genus Mustela] Body long and cylindrical; head small and oval. 1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. I. 292/1 Of the cultivated varieties [of the Citron] some are oval, others round... The Lemon..Fruit oval or ovate. 1953 R. W. Fairbrother Text-bk. Bacteriol. (ed. 7) ii. 21 The position of the spore may be either central (equatorial), subterminal or terminal, and its shape spherical or oval. 1992 Canad. Living 1 Dec. 96/1 For best results, use long oval baking potatoes and a ricer or masher. †3. Of or relating to an egg or eggs. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > reproductive substances or cells > [adjective] > ovum oval1646 ovarious1730 oviferous1828 ovular1848 ovulary1848 ovuliferous1848 multiovular1849 multiovulate1857 ovigenous1872 moruloid1880 ovuligerous1888 ovoblastic1922 the world > food and drink > food > eggs > [adjective] oval1884 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iii. vii. 121 Their ovall conceptions, or egges within their bodies. View more context for this quotation 1716 M. Davies Diss. Physick 5 in Athenæ Britannicæ III Generation by and in Oval Conceptions. 1884 Morning Herald (Reading, Pa.) 14 Apr. Never before probably was there so much done in the way of oval confectionery. B. n.¹ 1. a. A closed, rounded plane figure without concave portions, somewhat elongated in one direction; a curve enclosing this; esp. (in ordinary use) an ellipse having the length not greatly exceeding the breadth; (less commonly) a plane figure resembling the longitudinal section of an egg, broader towards one end. Also in extended use in Geometry: any closed plane curve (usually other than a circle or ellipse) which is everywhere concave towards the centre, or which lacks a node or cusp.carpenter's, Cartesian, Cassinian, conjugate oval: see the first element.See also note at sense A. 1a. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > geometry > curve > [noun] > conic section > ellipse egg-form1551 ellipsis1570 oval1570 ellipse1753 the world > relative properties > number > geometry > shape or figure > [noun] > two-dimensional > closed curve oval1570 hysteresis loop1892 Jordan curve1900 1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. Math. Præf. sig. aiiij^v A Perfect Square, Triangle, Circle, Ouale..and such other Geometricall figures. 1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 31 The principall part thereof riseth in an ouall surrounded with pillars admirable for their proportion. 1795 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. (at cited word) Oval denotes also certain roundish figures, of various..shapes, among curve lines of the higher kinds. c1865 Ld. Brougham in J. Wylde Circle of Sci. I. Introd. Disc. p. xii The planets move in ovals, from gravity. 1905 G. F. Goodchild & C. F. Tweney Technol. & Sci. Dict. 482/2 Oval, a closed curve of an egg shape, not to be confused with the ellipse. An oval is symmetrical only about its longer axis. 1993 Artist (BNC) Apr. 19 The egg shape is a clue to building in the sense of rhythm when drawing the small birds; you can practise drawing ovals and thus build up bird shapes. b. Any of various things having an egg-shaped or (more usually) an elliptical or rounded and elongated outline.These include, for example, an oval cooking dish, an oval picture frame, an oval window, an elliptical piece of ground. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > roundness > [noun] > oval or elliptical quality > oval or elliptical object oval1632 ellipse1850 society > communication > writing > written character > [noun] > hieroglyph > enclosure cartouche1830 oval1877 1632 Edinb. Test. LV. f. 207^v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Ovaill Ane foure nuikit ovell and ane littill stamp..for stamping of buikis. 1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot iv. viii. 226 About his breast hung her Picture, set in a rich Ovall. 1677–8 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) III. 23 A new ouall to give light to the starecase. 1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. v. 90 The Oval b is fitted stiff upon the Staff c, that it may be set nearer or farther from the Tooth. 1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ii. 25 Take a large Oval, or a large Gravy-pan, lay Layers of Bacon, and then Layers of Beef all over the Bottom. 1755 Monitor No. 9 1 71 It is a fine political picture in miniature:..in an oval of an inch square. a1811 R. Cumberland Last of Family (1813) v. 259 Per. A miniature?— Geo. A small oval—His lady had the fellow of it, and wore it as a locket. 1877 A. B. Edwards Thousand Miles up Nile vii. 183 The royal oval in which the name of Cleopatra (Klaupatra) is spelt with its vowel sounds in full. 1953 P. Gallico Foolish Immortals xxi. 122 The sensitive oval of her face. 1990 N.Y. Woman Apr. 48/1 All roads lead to the Oval, Stuyvesant Town's version of Main Street, a large grassy oval smack in the middle of things. c. Geometry oval of Descartes n. a closed curve that is the locus of the vertex of a triangle opposite a fixed base, in which one of the sides is in a constant ratio with the sum or difference of the other side and a given number (also called Cartesian oval). ΚΠ 1842 W. T. Brande Dict. Sci., Lit. & Art 863/2 The Ovals of Descartes are a species of geometrical curves... They may be defined as the locus of the vertex of a triangle on a given base, one of whose sides has a given ratio to the sum or difference of a given line and the other side. 1877 B. Williamson Elem. Treat. Integral Calculus (ed. 3) viii. §166 The Oval of Descartes..consists of two ovals, one lying inside the other. 1939 Amer. Math. Monthly 46 115 The proposer stated..that the envelope of the circles (Σ) in the general case is an oval of Descartes with F, the intersection of the axes x, y, as one focus. 1972 M. Kline Math. Thought xv. 315 He discovered that the curve generating the desired surface of revolution is an oval, now known as the oval of Descartes. d. Sport. An oval sports ground; spec. (a) (with capital initial) the name of an oval cricket ground in Kennington, south London (opened in 1846), the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club; (b) (chiefly Australian) an oval ground on which Australian Rules football or cricket is played; (c) (chiefly U.S.) an oval ground with a track on its perimeter used for running, horse racing, or motorcycling. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricket ground > [noun] > specific Lord's1823 oval1857 1857 Chambers's Information for People (new ed.) II. 686/1 The Surrey Club at the Kennington Oval..keep cricket going throughout the season. 1910 Blackwood's Mag. Jan. 89/1 On the Oval, Surrey..had snatched a victory by five runs. 1927 Daily Express 26 Mar. 9/2 The Prince of Wales..will..open a games oval. 1928 M. Arlen Lily Christine (1929) iii. 42 Her father..liked nothing so much as spending long afternoons at Lords' or the Oval. 1973 Sun-Herald (Sydney) 26 Aug. 15/4 Police were searching late tonight for two girls, who disappeared from the crowded Adelaide Oval while attending a football match with parents and friends. 1983 B. Willis Captain's Diary ii. 30 Made up for some of yesterday's excesses by skipping lunch and running ten laps of a neighbouring Oval. 1991 Sports Illustr. 3 June 8/2 He had ridden since 1945,..on practically every dirt oval from Florida to Maine. 2. †a. Roman History. Each of seven egg-shaped objects (in Latin called ova) used in the Roman circus to indicate the number of rounds run in a race. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > [noun] > ball indicating rounds run oval1600 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xli. xxvii. 1114 The Ovales [L. ova] to marke and skore up the number of courses. 1912 H. S. Jones Compan. Rom. Hist. ii. 138 The spina itself carried stands supporting six dolphins and six ova, one of which was removed as each lap of the race was completed.] †b. Architecture. = ovum n. 2. Also (perhaps by confusion): = ovolo n. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > ornament on moulding anchor1663 stud1686 oval1706 mirror1841 1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Echinus This Ornament is now made use of in Cornices of the Ionick, Corinthian, and Composit Orders, being Carved with Anchors, Darts, and Ovals or Eggs. 1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Oval In Architecture Oval or Ovolo is the same as Echinus. c. gen. An egg-shaped or ellipsoidal solid or surface; an egg-shaped or ellipsoidal object, esp. the ball used in rugby or American football. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [noun] > sphericity or globularity > spheroidicity > spheroid > object acornc1388 almonda1400 bean1561 egg1589 ovala1868 a1868 C. Harpur Poet. Wks. (1984) 958 A full row of pearls—all perfect ovals. 1898 P. Manson Trop. Dis. i. 25 The gradual evolution of the flagellated body from crescent through oval and sphere can with patience be easily followed. 1956 K. Clark Nude ix. 344 [Artists] have found it easier to compose harmoniously the larger units of a woman's torso;..they have discovered analogies with satisfying geometrical forms, the oval, the ellipsoid and the sphere. 1963 Times 13 June 13/3 In Rugby football no try could simply be converted; the oval had to be propelled through the uprights. 1987 Rugby World & Post Mar. 12/1 Seasoned internationals spilled the slippery oval like novices. 3. Woodworking. = oval wire nail n. at Compounds 3. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > nail > with thin circular head wire nail1851 oval1988 1988 Woodworker Apr. 359/3 I suggest 1½ in ovals; hammer them into the centre of the bowl shape, as this is the section that will be gouged later. 1993 Guardian 25 Sept. (Weekend Suppl.) 63/4 A couple of packs of 3in and 4in ovals are useful to have in reserve. Compounds C1. Parasynthetic. oval-arched adj. ΚΠ 1851 Encycl. Americana XI. 380/1 The burrows are simply oval-arched galleries, running forward, either straight or in gentle curvatures. 1884 Littell's Living Age 12 Apr. 91/2 A magnificent oval-arched gateway. 2000 Independent 1 Oct. (Features) 48 This [garden] has enchanting tiered hedges of contrasting plants.., an oval-arched pergola, a swimming pool. oval-bodied adj. ΚΠ 1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 181 The greenish, oval-bodied Cochlea. 1879 J. J. Young Ceramic Art 24 Amphoræ—the Greek two-handled, oval-bodied vases with pointed base, which have been found wherever Greek commerce extended. 2000 Columbia Encycl. at Bean Beetle The adult is yellow, with black spots; the yellow, oval-bodied larva has forked spines. † oval-bored adj. Obsolete ΚΠ 1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 115 The gun has since been made two inches larger in the bore, and even oval-bored. 1865 Sci. Amer. 28 Oct. 272/1 Under that definition the internal sectional area of an oval bored gun must necessarily be larger than that of a grooved gun of the same nominal caliber. oval-faced adj. ΚΠ 1778 J. King in J. Cook Jrnl. 21 Apr. in Voy. ‘Resolution’ & ‘Discovery’ (1967) III. 1405 They are oval faced, with high cheek bones. 1886 J. Ruskin Præterita I. x. 326 A graceful oval-faced blonde of fifteen. 1976 J. Drummond Funeral Urn xxi. 109 They..looked alike, oval-faced, straight-nosed, small-mouthed. † oval-figured adj. Obsolete rare ΚΠ 1698 J. Keill Exam. Theory Earth (1734) 51 The Theorist's Oval-figured earth not being sufficient for such an effect. oval-headed adj. ΚΠ 1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 113 The great oval-headed Testudo. 1855 G. Emerson Farmer's & Planter's Encycl. Rural Affairs (new ed.) 249/2 Of each of these [varieties of savoy] there are likewise two sub-varieties, the round and the oval-headed. 1992 DIY do it Yourself Oct. 35/2 Use either cut floor brads or large oval-headed nails to secure loose boards. oval-leaved adj. ΚΠ 1751 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. II. 292 The oval-leaved Rhamnus. 1830 Withering's Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 7) IV. 101 Oval-leaved White Fucus,..F. ovatus. 1975 Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 102 142/1 The oval-leaved plants of C. rotundiflia var. rotundifolia, which have appressed pubescence, grade into the broadly oval-leaved C. rotundifolia var. vulgaris, which have spreading pubescence. oval-shaped adj. ΚΠ 1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Cucubalus The Pointal becomes a soft oval-shap'd Berry. 1884 Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 13 127 A flat and oval-shaped piece of hard wood tied to the end of a long piece of twine, which, when whirled in the air, makes a loud humming noise. 1998 G. Tyack Oxford: Archit. Guide 215 At the centre of the development there is an oval-shaped space densely planted with trees and shrubs. † oval-visaged adj. Obsolete rare ΚΠ 1689 London Gaz. No. 2483/4 One John Allen,..Oval-Visaged,..run away from his Master. C2. Chiefly Botany. Prefixed to other adjectives to denote a form that is intermediate between, or a blend of, oval and another shape. oval-elliptical adj. ΚΠ 1847 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. (ed. 2) 404 Cal[yx] segments oval-elliptical, obtuse. 1998 Diversity & Distribution 4 10/1 Heracleum mantegazzianum..is a monocarpic perennial with..usually seven to ten umbels bearing oval-elliptical, broadly winged fruits 9–11 mm in size. oval-globose adj. ΚΠ 1847 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. (ed. 2) 163 Silicles oval-globose, half as long as the pedicel. 1989 Ann. Missouri Bot. Garden 76 624/2 Bulbs small, oval-globose, 0.75–1.5 cm. diam[eter]. oval-lanceolate adj. ΚΠ 1845 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. 62 Sepals oval-lanceolate, striate. 1948 Amer. Midland Naturalist 40 604 Tegmina oval-lanceolate and about the length of the pronotum although macropterism sometimes occurs. 1993 Internat. Jrnl. Plant Sci. 154 211/1 Leaves are oval-lanceolate, 6–8 cm long and 1.5–2.0 cm wide, with bluntly acute apices. oval-oblong adj. ΚΠ 1829 J. Lindley Synopsis Brit. Flora 51 Leaves ovate or oval-oblong, obtuse. 1995 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 82 293/1 Underdeveloped embryos are either rudimentary (globular to oval-oblong) or linear (several times longer than broad). oval-ovate adj. ΚΠ 1845 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. 493 Cup deeply bowl-shaped, fringed on the edge; acorn oval-ovate. 1989 Ann. Missouri Bot. Garden 76 304/2 Banner [i.e. the standard petal of a leguminous flower] glabrous, oval-ovate, 15–17.5 mm long. † oval-truncate adj. Obsolete rare ΚΠ 1856 W. L. Lindsay Pop. Hist. Brit. Lichens 160 The spermogones are oval or oval-truncate. C3. oval chuck n. now rare a chuck in a lathe for turning items into an oval form. ΚΠ 1813 J. Watt Let. in S. Smiles Men of Invention & Industry (1888) v. 148 I have not heard from you in reply to my letter about the lathe... An alteration for the better is making in the oval chuck. a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. I. 549/1 The elliptic or oval chuck was invented by Abraham Sharp, and consists of three parts, the chuck, the slider, and the eccentric circle. 1912 Model Engineer 6 June 539/1 (title) An oval chuck for ornamental work. oval compass n. a compass for drawing ovals or ellipses accurately. ΚΠ 1868 Sci. Amer. 1 July 8/2 (caption) Bowly's patent oval compass. 1996 Which High Performance Inflatable Kayak to buy? in rec.boats.paddle (Usenet newsgroup) 6 Feb. Other companies will have to build an oval compass before they can even explore the quality lines Attila came up with. † oval-engine n. Obsolete = oval lathe n. ΚΠ 1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. xiv. 242 These Oval-Engines, Swash-Engines, and all other Engines. 1780 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 70 382 In the turning of ovals, the top of the rest which supports the tool is always made to pass through..the two centers round which the oval engine turns. 1864 S. Smiles Industr. Biogr. 257 We find Mr. Thomas Oldfield..named as an excellent maker of oval-engines. oval lathe n. a lathe for turning items into an oval form. ΚΠ 1779 J. Taylor Specif. Patent 1232 2 The turning of potts is performed by an oval lathe made for that purpose. 1873 Chambers's Encycl. X. 565/1 Such articles are then turned quite smooth on the inside, by means of a common lathe when they are circular, and by an oval lathe when they are oval like fish-pans. 1991 Guardian 8 Oct. The job was his when he told how he [sc. William Murdock] had invented an oval lathe on which to make the wooden hat. oval nail n. = oval wire nail n. ΚΠ 1986 F. Underwood & G. Warr in A. Limon et al. Home Owner Man. (ed. 2) ii. viii. 251 Usually, oval nails are chosen which will penetrate the battens by about 13 mm. 1992 Pract. Householder Aug. 40/1 Use oval nails to fix the cross braces..together. Oval Office n. an oval-shaped room in the White House that is the private office of the U.S. President; (in extended use) the presidency or the executive branch of government of the United States. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > head of government > [noun] > in a republic > in U.S. > office or residence of U.S. president white house1811 white house1855 Oval Office1965 1931 H. Hagedorn Leonard Wood II. xiii. 291 Wilson was in his oval office, standing near the door of the Cabinet room as Wood was announced.] 1965 L. P. Jones First Bk. White House 30 In 1909, seven years after the President's offices had been moved into the West Wing, the President's Oval Office was added. 1973 Times 18 June 1/6 Mr Krogh told him that the order for the break-in came ‘from the Oval Office’. 1977 Time 17 Jan. 16/1 With Carter in the Oval Office, the Democrats chose in Byrd a man well equipped to push the Administration's programs. 1992 Newsweek 4 May 60/3 It's the kind of thinking that seems to elude the Oval Office. oval window n. Anatomy = fenestra ovalis at fenestra n. 1. ΚΠ 1683 A. Snape Anat. Horse iii. xiv. 139 The third is called the Stirrop,..and is fixed..round that passage that is called the oval Window. 1718 J. Chamberlayne tr. B. Nieuwentyt Relig. Philosopher I. xiii. 249 There are yet two Openings in..the Drum [of the ear]: the first of 'em are called the Oval Window... The other is called the Round Window. 1876 Mind 1 269 The function of the stapedius is to lift the stirrup-plate from the oval window. 1989 J. Downer Supersense (BNC) 68 These bones amplify the sound eighteen times, mainly because they concentrate all the waves which reach the eardrum onto the much smaller oval window. oval wire nail n. Woodworking a nail having an elliptical or oval cross-section so as to reduce the risk of splitting the wood. ΚΠ 1945 W. B. McKay Carpentry ix. 196 Oval Wire Nails..are used for general purposes... They are obtainable in sizes varying from 1 to 6-in. and are sold by weight. 1993 Guardian 25 Sept. (Weekend Suppl.) 63/4 Although there are around 20 different types of nails and pins for different fixings, the most useful are the 1in and 2in bright steel oval wire nails. Derivatives ˈoval-wise adj. and adv. now rare (a) adj. forming an oval; (b) adv. so as to form an oval. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > roundness > [adverb] > in oval shape evenlonga1475 oval-wise1612 1612 J. Speed Theatre of Empire of Great Brit. i. xxxiv. 65/1 For forme long and Oual-wise, doubling in length twice her breadth. 1625 W. Lisle tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Noe in tr. Part of Du Bartas 73 A young wood's whizzing boughs that..oual-wise bewal'd the flowre embossed field. 1670 Philos. Trans. 1669 (Royal Soc.) 4 1126 In that place is to be a great Bason, Octogonal Oval-wise, 200 fathoms long, and 150. fath. large; which shall be surrounded with 72. houses to be raised on Arches. 1925 J. G. Neihardt Coll. Poems (1926) 514 The yellow swelter blazed On fourteen wagon-beds set oval-wise—A small corral to hold the camp supplies. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022). ovalv. Brit. /ˈəʊvl/, U.S. /ˈoʊv(ə)l/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: oval adj.² Etymology: < oval adj.² Compare earlier ovalling n. rare. 1. transitive. To make oval, to give an oval shape to. Also intransitive: to become oval in shape.In quot. 1890: to enclose in an oval shape. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > roundness > make round [verb (transitive)] > make oval oval1665 ovalize1909 1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 218 The more the limb is flatted or ovalled, the more red does the body appear. 1873 Manufacturer & Builder Nov. 263/2 I can not see why a 10-inch pipe ovaled is not equal to a 10-inch round pipe, as it has the same circumference. 1874 M. Clarke His Nat. Life ii. viii. 121 ‘To oval’, is a term in use among convicts, and means to so bend the round ring of the ankle fetter that the heel can be drawn up through it. 1890 Cent. Mag. Nov. 64/2 There was also a fish,—boiled,—with slices of hard eggs fringing the dish, ovaled by a hedge of parsley. 1936 L. C. Douglas White Banners xvi. 336 Her childish chubbiness was gone, and the round little face had ovaled. 1980 J. Irving in Fiction 6 ii. 26 She had knocked down walls, sunk bathtubs, arched doorways, rounded rooms, ovalled windows; in short she treated interior space as an illusion. 1990 S. Miller Family Pictures ii. xvi. 338 His mouth had ovaled in pain, his eyes had shut tight. 2. intransitive. To move in oval-shaped curves. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement in circle or curve > move in a circle or curve [verb (intransitive)] > move in ovals oval1969 1969 ‘R. Stark’ Blackbird iv. 26 Grofield's plane ovaled between massed gray clouds and the grubby sprawl of New York City. Derivatives ˈovalling adj. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement in circle or curve > [adjective] > moving in ovals or ellipses elliptic1806 ellipsing1878 ovalling1922 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 429 The odour of the sicksewet weed floats towards him in slow round ovalling wreaths. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.¹n.²?a1439adj.²n.¹1561v.1665
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† ovaladj.1n.2

ovaladj.2n.1

Compounds

Derivatives

ovalv.

Derivatives

† ovaladj.¹n.²

ovaladj.²n.¹