adj
Meaning 1
Relating to a chain; like a chain.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
catenary
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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /kəˈtiːnəɹi/
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UK: /kəˈtɛnəɹi/
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US: /ˈkætəˌnɛɹi/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
adj
Meaning 2
Relating to a catena.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
The curve described by a flexible chain or a rope if it is supported at each end and is acted upon by no other forces than a uniform gravitational force due to its own weight and variations involving additional and non-uniform forces. It is described by the hyperbolic cosine function.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
Any physical cable, rope, chain, or other weight-supporting structure taking such geometric shape, as a suspension cable for a bridge or a power-transmission line or an arch for a bridge or roof.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
The curve of an anchor cable from the seabed to the vessel; it should be horizontal at the anchor so as to bury the flukes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A cable, the segments of which between supports take a catenary geometric shape, supporting in turn an overhead conductor that provides trains, trams or trolley buses with electricity, or (metonymic) the combination of the conductor, the cable, and supports.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
the curve theoretically assumed by a perfectly flexible and inextensible cord of uniform density and cross section hanging freely from two fixed points
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: curve, curved shape
History
Etymology
From Latin catenarius, from Latin catēna (“chain”).
From Late Latin catenaria, in turn from Latin catēna (“chain”). Attested since 1788.
Across languages
Translations
34 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Spanish: catenario — Translations
- Catalan: catenària — curve of a flexible chain
- Chinese Mandarin: 懸鏈線 /悬链线 (xuánliànxiàn) — curve of a flexible chain
- Czech: řetězovka — curve of a flexible chain
- Dutch: kettinglijn — curve of a flexible chain
- Finnish: ketjukäyrä — curve of a flexible chain
- French: chaînette — curve of a flexible chain
- German: Kettenlinie — curve of a flexible chain
- Hebrew: קו שרשרת (kav sharshéret) — curve of a flexible chain
- Hungarian: láncgörbe — curve of a flexible chain
- Hungarian: kötélgörbe — curve of a flexible chain
- Italian: catenaria — curve of a flexible chain
- Japanese: 懸垂曲線 (kensuikyokusen) — curve of a flexible chain
- Japanese: 懸垂線 (kensuisen) — curve of a flexible chain
- Kazakh: тізбекті сызық (tızbektı syzyq) — curve of a flexible chain
- Macedonian: синџирка (sindžirka) — curve of a flexible chain
- Polish: krzywa łańcuchowa — curve of a flexible chain
- Russian: цепная ли́ния (cepnaja) — curve of a flexible chain
- Spanish: catenaria — curve of a flexible chain
- Swedish: kedjekurva — curve of a flexible chain
- Finnish: ketjukäyrä — curve of an anchor cable
- Irish: cuar — curve of an anchor cable
- Irish: cuar slabhra — curve of an anchor cable
- Polish: krzywa łańcuchowa — curve of an anchor cable
- Danish: køreledning — power lines above tracks
- Finnish: ajolanka — power lines above tracks
- French: caténaire — power lines above tracks
- German: Oberleitung — power lines above tracks
- Norwegian Bokmål: kjøreledning — power lines above tracks
- Norwegian Nynorsk: køyreleidning — power lines above tracks
- Polish: sieć przewodów trakcyjnych — power lines above tracks
- Romanian: linie aeriană de contact — power lines above tracks
- Russian: контактная сеть (kontaktnaja setʹ) — power lines above tracks
- Spanish: catenaria — power lines above tracks