The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Adiabatic \Ad`i*a*bat"ic\, a. [Gr. 'adia`batos not passable; 'a
   priv. + dia` through + bai`nein to go.] (Physics)
   Not giving out or receiving heat. -- Ad`i*a*bat`ic*al*ly,
   adv.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   Note: The adiabatic expansion of carbon dioxide from a
         compressed container causes the temperature of the gas
         to decrease rapidly below its freezing point, resulting
         in the familiar carbon dioxide "snow" emitted by carbon
         dioxide fire extinguishers.
         [PJC.]

   Adiabatic line or curve, a curve exhibiting the
      variations of pressure and volume of a fluid when it
      expands without either receiving or giving out heat.
      --Rankine.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Curve \Curve\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Curved (k[^u]rvd); p. pr. &
   vb. n. Curving.] [L. curvare., fr. curvus. See Curve, a.,
   Curb.]
   To bend; to crook; as, to curve a line; to curve a pipe; to
   cause to swerve from a straight course; as, to curve a ball
   in pitching it.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Curve \Curve\ (k[^u]rv), a. [L. curvus bent, curved. See
   Cirb.]
   Bent without angles; crooked; curved; as, a curve line; a
   curve surface.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Curve \Curve\, n. [See Curve, a., Cirb.]
   1. A bending without angles; that which is bent; a flexure;
      as, a curve in a railway or canal.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Geom.) A line described according to some low, and having
      no finite portion of it a straight line.
      [1913 Webster]

   Axis of a curve. See under Axis.

   Curve of quickest descent. See Brachystochrone.

   Curve tracing (Math.), the process of determining the
      shape, location, singular points, and other peculiarities
      of a curve from its equation.

   Plane curve (Geom.), a curve such that when a plane passes
      through three points of the curve, it passes through all
      the other points of the curve. Any other curve is called a
      curve of double curvature, or a twisted curve.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Curve \Curve\, v. i.
   To bend or turn gradually from a given direction; as, the
   road curves to the right.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

curve
    n 1: the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
         [syn: curve, curved shape] [ant: straight line]
    2: a line on a graph representing data
    3: a pitch of a baseball that is thrown with spin so that its
       path curves as it approaches the batter [syn: curve, curve
       ball, breaking ball, bender]
    4: the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface
       [syn: curvature, curve]
    5: curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.)
       [syn: bend, curve]
    v 1: turn sharply; change direction abruptly; "The car cut to
         the left at the intersection"; "The motorbike veered to the
         right" [syn: swerve, sheer, curve, trend, veer,
         slue, slew, cut]
    2: extend in curves and turns; "The road winds around the lake";
       "the path twisted through the forest" [syn: wind, twist,
       curve]
    3: form an arch or curve; "her back arches"; "her hips curve
       nicely" [syn: arch, curve, arc]
    4: bend or cause to bend; "He crooked his index finger"; "the
       road curved sharply" [syn: crook, curve]
    5: form a curl, curve, or kink; "the cigar smoke curled up at
       the ceiling" [syn: curl, curve, kink]