anticlastic
|an-ti-clas-tic|
/ˌæn.tɪˈklæs.tɪk/
opposite curvature; saddle-shaped
Etymology
'anticlastic' originates from Greek combining forms: 'anti-' (Greek ἀντί) meaning 'opposite' and the element '-clastic' from Greek 'klastikos' (κλαστικός) meaning 'capable of breaking or bending' (transferred through New Latin/French scientific formation).
'anticlastic' was formed in scientific English (via New Latin/French technical usage) in the 19th–20th centuries to describe a type of curvature or bending; it entered usage in mechanics, materials science, and differential geometry to denote surfaces or bends with opposite curvatures.
Initially composed to convey the idea 'opposite + bending/breaking', the term evolved to the specialized modern meaning 'having opposite curvatures in perpendicular directions' (i.e., saddle-shaped curvature) used in geometry and engineering.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having opposite curvature in perpendicular directions; saddle-shaped (a surface that curves one way along one axis and the opposite way along the orthogonal axis).
The metal sheet showed an anticlastic shape, curving upward in one direction and downward in the perpendicular direction.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 2
relating to a type of bending or flexure that produces opposite curvatures in perpendicular directions (used in mechanics and structural contexts).
Engineers noted the anticlastic bending of the beam under combined loads.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/29 08:24