cusp

English
A curve with a cusp at (0,0)

Etymology

From Latin cuspis (“a point, spear, pointed end”); first used in astrology.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /kʌsp/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌsp

Noun

cusp (plural cusps)

  1. A sharp point or pointed end.
  2. (figuratively) An important moment when a decision is made that will determine future events.
    • 2012 April 21, Jonathan Jurejko, “Newcastle 3-0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport‎:
      Newcastle were 11 points adrift of Spurs following their 5-0 mauling at the hands of the north London club in February.
      But a sixth successive Premier League win puts them on the cusp of European football next season as they surged 15 points clear of seventh-placed Everton, who have five games left to play.
  3. (geometry) A point of a curve where the curve is continuous but has no derivative, but such that it has a derivative at every nearby point.
  4. (architecture) A point made by the intersection of two curved lines or curved structures, a common motif in Gothic architecture.[1]
  5. (astrology) A boundary between zodiacal signs and houses.
  6. (dentistry) Any of the pointed parts of a canine tooth or molar.

Synonyms
  • (sharp point, pointed end): ord

Derived terms

Translations
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Translations to be checked

References
  1. Russell Sturgis, ed. (1902). A Dictionary of Architecture and Building: Biographical, Historical, and Descriptive. 3. Macmillan.

Anagrams
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