osculatory

Os"cu*la*to*ry, a. 1. Of or pertaining to kissing; kissing. "The osculatory ceremony." Thackeray. 2. (Geom.) Defn: Pertaining to, or having the properties of, an osculatrix; capable of osculation; as, a circle may be osculatory with a curve, at a given point. Osculatory circle. (Geom.) See Osculating circle of a curve, under Circle. -- Osculatory plane (to a curve of double curvature), a plane which passes through three successive points of the curve. -- Osculatory sphere (to a line of double curvature), a sphere passing through four consecutive points of the curve. Os"cu*la*to*ry, n. Etym: [LL. osculatorium. See Osculate.] (R. C. Ch.) Defn: Same as Pax, 2.

---