Coning

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of forming a cone shape from a material or substance, the process of creating a conical structure, or the technique of maneuvering a vehicle through conical pathways all represent expressions of this term's meaning
2. This term refers to the shaping of an item into a cone, the action of arranging objects in a conical formation, and the method of navigating through conically defined routes
3. It describes the formation of an object into a cone, the orientation of items in a conical fashion, and the driving strategy that involves conical patterns in motion

Etymology: The word "coning" is simply the "-ing" form of "cone", so its history is really the history of the base word. "Cone" comes from Ancient Greek "kônos", which meant a cone, a spinning top, or a pine cone. The Greek term passed into Latin as "cōnus" and "cōnon", meaning a cone, a wedge, or a peak, and Medieval Latin carried it onward into the languages of Western Europe. English received the word in Middle English, where "cone" first meant a corner or angle, and "conoun" meant a cone in the geometric sense. Middle French "cone" reinforced it, both coming from the same Graeco-Latin source. The pine cone sense, the one closest to the Greek original, has stayed alive alongside the geometric shape.

Synonyms: tapering, narrowing