cone

/koʊn/

/kəʊn/

Other forms: cones; coned; coning

A cone is a shape that has a circle at the bottom and sides that narrow to a point, like a party hat, a rubber pylon at a construction site, or, yes, an ice cream cone.

Why is a cone called a cone? The Latin word conus means "the peak of a helmet," which must have described the shape of this type of hat in the 16th century. The Greek konos means "spinning top" and "pine cone." Both of these objects have one wider end that tapers to a point, describing a cone very accurately.

Definitions of cone

1. noun

   a shape whose base is a circle and whose sides taper up to a point
   synonyms: cone shape, conoid

   types:

   funnel, funnel shape

   a conical shape with a wider and a narrower opening at the two ends

   type of:

   round shape

   a shape that is curved and without sharp angles
2. noun

   any cone-shaped artifact
   type of:

   artefact, artifact

   a man-made object taken as a whole
3. verb

   make cone-shaped
   “cone a tire”

   type of:

   bevel, chamfer

   cut or shape an edge at an angle that isn't 90 degrees
4. noun

   cone-shaped mass of ovule- or spore-bearing scales or bracts
   synonyms: strobile, strobilus

   types:

   fir cone

   the seed-producing cone of a fir tree

   galbulus

   the seed-producing cone of a cypress tree

   pinecone

   the seed-producing cone of a pine tree

   type of:

   reproductive structure

   the parts of a plant involved in its reproduction
5. noun

   a visual receptor cell in the retina that is sensitive to bright light and to color
   synonyms: cone cell, retinal cone

   type of:

   visual cell

   one of the cells of the retina that is sensitive to light