1
: a large molding of convex profile commonly occurring as the lowest molding in the base of a column
2
: the thickening of a membrane closing a wood-cell pit (as of gymnosperm tracheids) having the secondary cell wall arched over the pit cavity
3
: a doughnut-shaped surface generated by a circle rotated about an axis in its plane that does not intersect the circle
broadly
: toroid
4
: a smooth rounded anatomical protuberance (such as a bony ridge on the skull)
Examples of torus in a Sentence
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It's surrounded by what's called an accretion disk, which is a torus of hot gas swirling around the black hole, waiting to be consumed.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 May 2025
So the ordinary torus has a Kervaire invariant of zero, while the twisted torus has a Kervaire invariant of 1.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 5 May 2025
There may be two companion stars that are interacting and sculpting the nebula, which is pinched in the middle by a fragmented ring or torus—looking like a half-eaten donut.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2025
And since opposite sides of the box are identical — remember, the box is our 3D torus stand-in — those two circles will be identical as well.
—Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torus
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 May 2025
So the ordinary torus has a Kervaire invariant of zero, while the twisted torus has a Kervaire invariant of 1.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 5 May 2025
There may be two companion stars that are interacting and sculpting the nebula, which is pinched in the middle by a fragmented ring or torus—looking like a half-eaten donut.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2025
And since opposite sides of the box are identical — remember, the box is our 3D torus stand-in — those two circles will be identical as well.
—Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torus
Cite this Entry
“Torus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torus. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
torus
noun
to·rus
ˈtōr-əs, ˈtȯr- 
plural tori
ˈtō(ə)r-ˌī
ˈtȯ(ə)r-
ˈtȯ(ə)r-
-ˌē
1
: a doughnut-shaped surface generated by a circle rotated about an axis in its plane that does not intersect the circle
2
: a smooth rounded anatomical protuberance (as a bony ridge on the skull)
a supraorbital torus
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