oval English · revision 10689

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1561|origins=la-med ovalis|origins=la ovum}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈəʊ.vəl/, US /ˈoʊ.vəl/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la-med|ōvālis|t=of an egg]], or Middle French ovale,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from Latin [[m|la|ōvum|t=egg]] (see [[ovum]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) The classical Latin word for egg-shaped was ōvātus.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Egg-shaped: 1561 in Merriam-Webster,^(MWU 2024) 1577 in Barnhart and the OED, in John Dee;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) the noun, an oval figure, 1570, in Dee's preface to Euclid.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Having the outline of an egg on a flat surface is from 1610.^(OED 1989) The Oval in Kennington, south London, a cricket ground opened in 1846, takes its name from its shape,^(Cresswell 2021) and an oval track for racing is called an oval in American English.^(AHD) The ''Oval Office'' of the American president has stood for the presidency itself since 1942.^(Etymonline) ''Ovalness'' is from 1727 and ''ovality'' from 1823.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1561 – oval.^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1570 – an oval figure (noun).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1610 – having an egg-shaped outline.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1942 – the Oval Office, the presidency.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Shaped like an [[egg]] or an [[ellipse]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # An egg-shaped or elliptical figure or object.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # An oval track or sports ground.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ovally]]

+ * [[ovalness]]

+ * [[ovality]]

+ * [[semioval]]

+ * [[oval of Cassini]]

+ * [[oval window]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ovum]]

+ * [[ovary]]

+ * [[egg]]

+ * [[ovate]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}