Sinusoid
/ˈsaɪ.njə.sɔɪd/noun
A curve or motion resembling a sine wave; in medicine, a structure or channel shaped like a sinus.
Did you know?Sinusoid ultimately comes from Latin sinus, meaning a fold, curve, or hollow, the same root that gave English both “sinus” and the idea of a hidden inward space.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sey-
“to bind, tie, or bend”
Latin
Latin
sinus
“a fold, curve, hollow, bay, or bosom”
Medieval Latin
Latin
sinus
“a hollow or cavity; in mathematics, later used for a curve-related form”
19th Century
English
sinusoid
“a curve resembling a sine curve; later, a wave-like mathematical function”
Modern English
English
sinusoid
“a sine-wave-shaped curve or, in anatomy, a sinus-like channel”