Curvature

How to spell curvature

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce curvature

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does curvature mean?

1. nounThe degree to which a line, surface, or object is curved rather than straight or flat.

Curvature in a sentence

• The optician measured the curvature of each lens before grinding it.

• An x-ray revealed an abnormal curvature in her lower spine.

Where does curvature come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin curvatura, meaning 'a bending' or 'a curving', which was formed from the verb curvare, 'to bend', built in turn on the adjective curvus, meaning 'bent' or 'crooked'. The same curvus root underlies a small family of English words, including 'curve' itself and the more technical 'curvilinear'. English adopted curvature in the early 1600s, initially in geometry and astronomy to describe the degree to which a line or surface departs from being straight or flat. From there the sense broadened naturally into anatomy and optics, giving us phrases like the curvature of the spine and the curvature of a lens. The spelling trap lives in the unstressed middle and the ending: the -ature suffix is easy to muddle with -iture or to reduce to a vague schwa, so it helps to remember the plain 'curve' sitting at the front before the calm Latin -ature finishes it off.

How the word is built

• curv- (from Latin curvus: bent, curved)
• -ature (noun suffix denoting a state or result)