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
Recent Examples on the Web
In this case, there are multiple ways for a light ray to travel around the surface of the torus and return to the same point.
—
Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
She’s also discovered the Big Ring, a torus of galaxies about 1.3 billion light-years across and four billion around.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2025
One [Gardner puzzle book] had a picture on the cover of what mathematicians call a torus, the shape of a doughnut or a bagel.
—Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
Each chip is connected to six other chips, and the whole system is connected in the shape of a torus to ensure all connecting wires are equally short.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for torus 
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Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
She’s also discovered the Big Ring, a torus of galaxies about 1.3 billion light-years across and four billion around.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2025
One [Gardner puzzle book] had a picture on the cover of what mathematicians call a torus, the shape of a doughnut or a bagel.
—Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
Each chip is connected to six other chips, and the whole system is connected in the shape of a torus to ensure all connecting wires are equally short.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for torus
Dictionary Entries Near torus
Cite this Entry
“Torus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torus. Accessed 12 Feb. 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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