spline

Noun

1. A long, thin piece of metal or wood.
2. A strip of wood or other material inserted into grooves in each of two pieces of wood to provide additional surface for gluing.
3. A flexible strip of metal or other material, that may be bent into a curve and used in a similar manner to a ruler to draw smooth curves between points.
4. Any of a number of smooth curves used to join points.
5. A ridge or tooth on a drive shaft that meshes with a corresponding groove in a mating piece and transfers torque to it, maintaining the angular correspondence between the pieces; either the ridge or the groove, as part of a set of both (splines); the whole set of ridges and grooves.
6. A rectangular piece that fits grooves like key seats in a hub and a shaft, so that while the one may slide endwise on the other, both must revolve together.

Verb

1. To smooth (a curve or surface) by means of a spline.
2. To fit with a spline.
3. To fasten to or together with a spline.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/splaɪn/

Etymology

Mid-1700s East Anglian dialect. Origin uncertain but perhaps from Old Danish splind or North Frisian splinj and ultimately related to the root of splinter.

Synonyms

slat

crease

furrow

glyph

gore

gouge

gullet

gusset

key

🔑

peg

piton

quoin

rill

shim

stria

transect

wedge

coigne

coign

tooth space

Translations

spline

Spline

clavette

🔑

cannelure

dil

kama

σανίδα

languette

rainure

orne

المفتاح

gola

incavo

solco

chiavetta

🔑