cone
Definitions
General English
General Science
- noun any object shaped like a cone
Agriculture
- noun a hard scaly structure containing seeds on such plants as conifers
- noun the fruit of the female hop plant, which is separated from leaves and other debris before being dried in an oasthouse
Aviation
- noun a solid body with a base in the shape of a circle, and with sides which narrow to a point, or any object which has that shape
Electronics
- A geometric shape with a circular or other closed-plane base, whose sides taper off along a diagonal line to a common vertex.
- Anything resembling a cone (1).
- The cone-shaped diaphragm of a cone speaker.
Medical
- noun a shape with a circular base or top and a part that tapers to a point, or an object with this shape
- noun one of two types of cell in the retina of the eye which is sensitive to light, used especially in the perception of bright light and colour.
- verb to show a rapid change for the worse in neurological condition due to herniation of the midbrain through the foramen magnum in the skull, caused by raised pressure inside the brain
Sports
- noun a plastic object used to mark out playing areas in a field or sports hall
Travel
- noun a round tube of biscuit, tapering to a point, used for serving ice cream
Origin & History of “cone”
Greek kōnos originally meant ‘pine-cone’ – it was the pine-cone’s typical shape which suggested the application of the word to a conical geometrical figure. The word passed into English via Latin cōnus and French cône. Coniferous (17th c.) was formed from Latin cōnifer, literally ‘cone-bearing’ (-ifer goes back to Latin ferre ‘carry’, a relative of English bear).
