Standard Lemma guide

brachistochrone

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /bɹəˈkɪstəkɹəʊn/
  • US: /bɹæˈkɪstəkɹoʊn/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A cycloid; the curve of fastest descent between two points.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βράχιστος (brákhistos, “shortest”) + χρόνος (khrónos, “time”). The term was coined by Johann Bernoulli.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 最速降線 /最速降线 (zuìsùjiàngxiàn) — cycloid — see also cycloid
  • Finnish: brakistokroni — cycloid — see also cycloid
  • French: brachistochrone — cycloid — see also cycloid
  • Italian: brachistocrona — cycloid — see also cycloid
  • Portuguese: braquistócrona — cycloid — see also cycloid
  • Romanian: brahistocronă — cycloid — see also cycloid