Added 6 October 2026

curve

/kɜːv/ adjective

In Latin: anfractus, curvāmen, flexus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about curve at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A bend, such as in a road.
You should slow down when approaching a curve.
A simple figure containing no straight portions and no angles; a curved line.
She scribbled a curve on the paper.
A grading system based on the scale of performance of a group used to normalize a right-skewed grade distribution (with more lower scores) into a bell curve, so that more can receive higher grades, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject.
The teacher was nice and graded the test on a curve.

Attested since the 1690s, from Latin curvus (“bent, curved”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to bend, curve, turn”) + *-wós. Doublet of curb, shrink, carcer, and cancer.