- a circular section of a sphere that does not contain the centre of the sphere
Compare great circle
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
small′ cir′cle,
- Mathematicsa circle on a sphere, the plane of which does not pass through the center of the sphere. Cf. great circle (def. 1).
- 1870–75
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
small circle n
'small circle' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
circle
- circlet
- great circle
- plasmid
- volt
- epicycle
- grand right and left
- horizon
- roundlet