Jump to content
 Share

9 Comments

Recommended Comments

  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment
drpaladin

drpaladin 81,658

Posted

  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment

From the Latin osculum, meaning kiss.

  • Like 6
  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment
drpaladin

drpaladin 81,658

Posted

  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment

Osculate is used in science and geometry to describe where two surfaces contact to create new tangents. 

  • Like 6
  • Popular Comment
sandrewn

sandrewn 22,260

Posted (edited)

  • Popular Comment

Yes, 'osculate' has two meanings, as mentioned by drpalidin.

Fortunately for us there are multiple, at least one more:

Definitions of osculate
  1. verb
    touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
    synonyms: buss, kiss, snog
  2. verb
    have at least three points in common with
    “one curve osculates the other”
    “these two surfaces osculate”
  3. verb
    be intermediate between two taxonomic groups
    “These species osculate”

Osculate - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

 

:cowboy:

Edited by sandrewn
  • Like 5
  • Love 2
  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment
drpaladin

drpaladin 81,658

Posted

  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment

Osculate was created in the 17th Century, but its first use came in the 19th Century.

A case of frustratingly, delayed osculation?

  • Like 3
  • Haha 5
Leslie Lofton

Leslie Lofton 1,815

Posted

14 hours ago, sandrewn said:
verb
have at least three points in common with
“one curve osculates the other”
“these two surfaces osculate”

Probably good that middle school math only deals in intersections. Teachers could never get through it.

  • Like 2
Leslie Lofton

Leslie Lofton 1,815

Posted

The Latin root is osculum, the diminutive of mouth. Os is mouth. If you see "P.O." on your prescription bottle, it stands for per os "take by mouth." If your surgery order says NPO after midnight, it is for nil per os -- nothing by mouth, i.e. don't eat anything.

  • Like 2
  • Site Moderator
drpaladin

drpaladin 81,658

Posted

  • Site Moderator
51 minutes ago, Leslie Lofton said:

The Latin root is osculum, the diminutive of mouth. Os is mouth. If you see "P.O." on your prescription bottle, it stands for per os "take by mouth." If your surgery order says NPO after midnight, it is for nil per os -- nothing by mouth, i.e. don't eat anything.

Osccul I m can mean mouth, but kiss is the primary usage.

https://ancientlanguages.org/latin/dictionary/osculum-osculi

  • Like 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...