Hypertext Webster Gateway: "spheroid"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Oblate \Ob*late"\, a. [L. oblatus, used as p. p. of offerre to
bring forward, offer, dedicate; ob (see {Ob-}) + latus borne,
for tlatus. See {Tolerate}.]
1. (Geom.) Flattened or depressed at the poles; as, the earth
is an oblate spheroid.
2. Offered up; devoted; consecrated; dedicated; -- used
chiefly or only in the titles of Roman Catholic orders.
See {Oblate}, n.
{Oblate ellipsoid} or {spheroid} (Geom.), a solid generated
by the revolution of an ellipse about its minor axis; an
oblatum. See {Ellipsoid of revolution}, under {Ellipsoid}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Spheroid \Sphe"roid\, n. [L. spheroides ball-like, spherical,
Gr. ???; ???? sphere + ??? form: cf. F. sph['e]ro["i]de.]
A body or figure approaching to a sphere, but not perfectly
spherical; esp., a solid generated by the revolution of an
ellipse about one of its axes.
{Oblate spheroid}, {Prolate spheroid}. See {Oblate},
{Prolate}, and {Ellipsoid}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Prolate \Pro"late\, a. [L. prolatus, used as p. p. of proferre
to bring forth, to extend; pro + latus, p. p. See {Pro-}, and
{Tolerate}. ]
Stretched out; extended; especially, elongated in the
direction of a line joining the poles; as, a prolate
spheroid; -- opposed to {oblate}.
{Prolate cycloid}. See the Note under {Cycloid}.
{Prolate ellipsoid} or {spheroid} (Geom.), a figure generated
by the revolution of an ellipse about its major axis. See
{Ellipsoid of revolution}, under {Ellipsoid}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
spheroid
n : a shape that is generated by rotating an ellipse around one
of its axes; "it looked like a sphere but on closer
examination I saw it was really a spheroid" [syn: {ellipsoid
of revolution}]
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