cone´less

cone «kohn», noun, verb, coned, con|ing.

–n.

1. a solid object that has a flat, round base and narrows to a point at the top.

2. Geometry. a surface traced by a moving straight line, one point of which is fixed, the opposite end constantly touching a fixed curve. A cone in which the base is a circle and the vertex lies on the perpendicular to the base at the center is called a right circular cone. A cone in which the vertex does not lie on the perpendicular is called an oblique circular cone.

3. anything shaped like a cone: »

an ice-cream cone. Smoke and lava erupted from Parícutin as the Western Hemisphere's newest volcano rapidly built its cone (Gordon A. Macdonald).

4. a) the part that bears the seeds on pine, cedar, fir, and other evergreen trees; strobile: »

Spruces have cones that hang straight downward. Fir trees have cones that stand straight up (K. A. Armson).

b) a fruit resembling this, such as that of a cycad. c) any inflorescence that resembles a cone, such as that of the hop.

5. one of a group of cone-shaped cells of the retina of the eye that respond to light. The cones are sensitive to the bright light of day; the rods are sensitive to dim light.

6. Machinery. any of various cone-shaped parts on a lathe, spinning machine, or firearm.

–v.t.

to shape like a cone or part of a cone.

╂[< Latin cōnus < Greek kônos cone, pine cone]

–cone´less, adjective.