¹cone

noun \ˈkōn\

: a shape that has a pointed top and sides that form a circle at the bottom

: a hard and dry part that is the fruit of a pine tree or other evergreen plant and contains many seeds

: something that looks like a cone

Full Definition of CONE

a : a solid generated by rotating a right triangle about one of its legs —called also right circular cone

b : a solid bounded by a circular or other closed plane base and the surface formed by line segments joining every point of the boundary of the base to a common vertex — see volume table

c : a surface traced by a moving straight line passing through a fixed vertex

a : a mass of ovule-bearing or pollen-bearing scales or bracts in most conifers or in cycads that are arranged usually on a somewhat elongated axis

b : any of several flower or fruit clusters suggesting a cone

: something that resembles a cone in shape: as

a : any of the conical photosensitive receptor cells of the vertebrate retina that function in color vision — compare rod 3

b : any of a family (Conidae) of tropical marine gastropod mollusks that inject their prey with a potent toxin

c : the apex of a volcano

d : a crisp usually cone-shaped wafer for holding ice cream

See cone defined for English-language learners

See cone defined for kids

Illustration of CONE

Origin of CONE

Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin conus, from Greek kōnos

First Known Use: 1545

Rhymes with CONE

blown, bone, clone, crone, drone, flown, groan, grown, hone, known, loan, lone, moan, Mon, none, own, phone, pone, prone, Rhône, roan, Saône, scone, sone, stone, throne, tone, zone

²cone

verb

conedcon·ing

Definition of CONE

transitive verb

: to make cone-shaped

: to bevel like the slanting surface of a cone <cone a tire>

See cone defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of CONE

1845

CONE Defined for Kids

cone

noun \ˈkōn\

Definition of CONE for Kids

: a thin crisp cookie shaped to hold ice cream

: a scaly structure of certain trees (as the pine or fir) that produces pollen or egg cells and seeds

: a shape with a circular base and sides that taper evenly to a point

: a cell of the retina of the eye that is sensitive to colored light

Medical Dictionary

cone

noun \ˈkōn\

Medical Definition of CONE

: a solid having a circular base and sides that slope evenly to a point

a : any of the conical photosensitive receptor cells of the vertebrate retina that function in color vision—compare rod b : any of a family (Conidae) of numerous somewhat conical tropical gastropod mollusks that include a few highly poisonous forms—see conus

: a cusp of a tooth especially in the upper jaw