a measure of the concentration of a distribution around its mean, esp the statistic B2 = m4/m22 where m2 and m4 are respectively the second and fourth moment of the distribution around the mean. In a normal distribution B2 = 3
See also platykurtic, mesokurtic, leptokurtic, Compare skewness
Word origin
from Greek: curvature, from kurtos arched
kurtosis in American English
(kərˈtoʊsɪs)
noun
the degree of peakedness of the graph of a statistical distribution, indicative of the concentration around the mean
Word origin
< Gr kyrtōsis, a bulging, convexity < kyrtos, curved: for IE base see curve