Cone

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkəʊn/

Definitions

1. A three-dimensional geometric shape with a circular base that tapers smoothly to a point at the top
2. A solid shape characterized by a circular base that narrows uniformly to a single vertex at the apex
3. This figure, distinguished by its round bottom and pointed top, forms a three-dimensional object often used in mathematics

Etymology: Ancient Greek "kōnos" meant a spinning top, a peak, or a pine cone, and the shape that gives "cone" its modern sense was already present in that word. A Greek "kōnos" was a solid whose base was round and which tapered to a point, the same geometry we now use for ice-cream cones and traffic markers. The word reached English through Latin. Medieval Latin "cōnus" and "cōnon" carried the sense of a wedge or peak, and Middle English borrowed it in two forms: "cone" in the sense of a corner or angle, and "conoun" for the solid shape. French later reinforced the English word from the same Graeco-Latin source, which is why "cone" in English reflects both routes. The pine cone, the woody fruit of conifers, is the sense that most closely keeps the original Greek meaning, since the scales of a pine cone taper in the same way as the geometric solid.

Synonyms: cylinder, pyramid, taper