[syn: elliptic, elliptical]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Elliptic \El*lip"tic\, Elliptical \El*lip"tic*al\, a. [Gr. ?:
   cf. F. elliptique. See Ellipsis.]
   1. Of or pertaining to an ellipse; having the form of an
      ellipse; oblong, with rounded ends.
      [1913 Webster]
            The planets move in elliptic orbits.  --Cheyne.
      [1913 Webster]
            The billiard sharp who any one catches,
            His doom's extremely hard
            He's made to dwell
            In a dungeon cell
            On a spot that's always barred.
            And there he plays extravagant matches
            In fitless finger-stalls
            On a cloth untrue
            With a twisted cue
            And elliptical billiard balls!
                                                  --Gilbert and
                                                  Sullivan (The
                                                  Mikado: The
                                                  More Humane
                                                  Mikado Song)
   2. Having a part omitted; as, an elliptical phrase.
      [1913 Webster]
   3. leaving out information essential to comprehension; so
      concise as to be difficult to understand; obscure or
      ambiguous; -- of speech or writing; as, an elliptical
      comment.
      [PJC]
   Elliptic chuck. See under Chuck.
   Elliptic compasses, an instrument arranged for drawing
      ellipses.
   Elliptic function. (Math.) See Function.
   Elliptic integral. (Math.) See Integral.
   Elliptic polarization. See under Polarization.
      [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
elliptical
    adj 1: rounded like an egg [syn: egg-shaped, elliptic,
           elliptical, oval, oval-shaped, ovate, oviform,
           ovoid, prolate]
    2: characterized by extreme economy of expression or omission of
       superfluous elements; "the dialogue is elliptic and full of
       dark hints"; "the explanation was concise, even elliptical to
       the verge of obscurity"- H.O.Taylor [syn: elliptic,
       elliptical]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
72 Moby Thesaurus words for "elliptical":
   Spartan, abbreviated, abridged, abstracted, aposiopestic,
   bell-like, bell-shaped, bobbed, brief, brusque, campaniform,
   campanular, campanulate, capsule, capsulized, clipped, close,
   compact, compendious, compressed, concise, condensed, contracted,
   crisp, cropped, curt, curtailed, cut, cut short, digested, docked,
   elided, ellipsoid, elliptic, elongated, epigrammatic, gnomic,
   laconic, mowed, mown, nipped, oblong, oblongated, oblongitudinal,
   parabolic, pithy, pointed, pollard, polled, pruned, reaped,
   rectangular, reserved, saucer-shaped, sententious, shaved, sheared,
   short, short and sweet, short-cut, shortened, snub, snubbed,
   succinct, summary, synopsized, taciturn, terse, tight,
   to the point, trimmed, truncated