Elliptically

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that is both concise and indirect, often implying more than what is explicitly stated, or relating to a shape that is egg-like or oval in form
2. Done in a way that suggests something is purposely omitted, requiring interpretation, while also describing a form resembling an ellipse
3. Conducted with brevity and subtlety in expression, hinting at underlying meanings, while pertaining to a geometric figure resembling an elongated circle

Etymology: "Elliptically" is an adverb built from "elliptical" plus the English suffix "-ly", so its real interest lies in the Greek verb behind "ellipse". That verb, "elleípō", combined the prefix "en-" ("in") with "leípō" ("to leave"), giving the sense "to fall short" or "to leave something out." The Greeks used it for falling short or being deficient, and a grammatical sense of leaving a word out of a sentence grew from that root. From "elleípō" came "elleiptikós", meaning deficient or omitting something, which passed into Latin and then into English as "elliptical." The geometric meaning, a flattened circle, arrives through the same idea: an ellipse is a curve that falls short of being a perfect circle, so the shape and the omission share one root. The adverb follows the ordinary English pattern, adding "-ly" to the adjective. Its two senses, speaking indirectly and describing an oval, both trace back to that original notion of something being left short or left out.

Synonyms: obliquely, indirectly, circuitously, deviously, roundabout

Antonyms: directly, straightforwardly, clearly, explicitly