spline

English

Drawing a spline.

Wooden box with splines of dark wood visible at the corner joints. See the close-up of a spline.

Etymology

Mid-1700s East Anglian dialect. Origin uncertain but perhaps from Old Danish splind or North Frisian splinj and ultimately related to the root of splinter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /splaɪn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪn

Noun

spline (plural splines)

1. Long thin piece of metal or wood. [from the mid 18th c]
2. (woodworking) A strip of wood or other material inserted into grooves in each of two pieces of wood to provide additional surface for gluing.
3. A flexible strip of metal or other material, that may be bent into a curve and used in a similar manner to a ruler to draw smooth curves between points.
4. (mathematics, computing) Any of a number of smooth curves used to join points.
5. A rectangular piece that fits grooves like key seats in a hub and a shaft, so that while the one may slide endwise on the other, both must revolve together.
6. (mechanics) Ridges or teeth on a drive shaft that mesh with grooves in a mating piece and transfer torque to it, maintaining the angular correspondence between them.

Coordinate terms

• (woodworking): biscuit, dowel, glue strip, finger joint

Derived terms

• B-spline
• basis spline
• cubic spline
• splinal
• splined
• splineway

Translations

rectangular piece

Bulgarian: шпонка (bg) f (šponka) Finnish: liuska (fi) French: clavette (fr) f, cannelure (fr) f Italian: cuneo (it) m, chiavetta (it) f

flexible strip used in a similar manner to a ruler

Bulgarian: кривка f (krivka) Finnish: käyräviivain French: cerce (fr) f German: Straklatte f Norwegian: rilinjal m Portuguese: régua-cobra f, régua flexível f Russian: спла́йн (ru) m (splájn)

smooth mathematical curve

Bulgarian: сплайн m (splajn), изглаждаща функция f (izglaždašta funkcija) Finnish: splini (fi) French: spline (fr) f German: Spline, Polynomzug m Norwegian: rikurve m, rifunksjon m Portuguese: spline m or f Russian: спла́йн (ru) m (splájn) Swedish: spline (sv) c, rifunktion c, ri-funktion c

strip of wood used in joining wooden parts

Finnish: liuska (fi) French: languette (fr) f Italian: linguetta (it) f Portuguese: chaveta (pt) f, cunha (pt) f Russian: шпо́нка (ru) f (špónka)

teeth on a drive shaft

Finnish: ura (fi), spoori (fi), poori Maori: raumoa, raumoa Norwegian: Bokmål: boss n Portuguese: estria (pt) f

Verb

spline (third-person singular simple present splines, present participle splining, simple past and past participle splined)

1. (mathematics, computing) To smooth (a curve or surface) by means of a spline.
2. (engineering) To fit with a spline.
   • 1965 August, Popular Science, volume 187, number 2, page 133:

     Machining a straight spline with a lathe. Sometimes the task of splining a shaft comes up during a repair. Instead of sending out the job, use this setup to mill the splines on a lathe.

3. (engineering) To fasten to or together with a spline.
   • 1935 September, Popular Mechanics, volume 64, number 3, page 408:

     Engineers did not think two crankshafts could be synchronized. Wood, by splining the shafts in each gear box, proved it could be done.

   • 2004, Jack Erjavec, TechOne automatic transmissions, page 311:

     These packs can be holding or driving devices, depending on what they are splined to.

   • 2011, Mark Savitske, How to Make Your Muscle Car Handle, page 85:

     Splined bars are a big recent trend. Originally used in racing, the idea is to have a straight torsion bar with the ends splined like an axle and separate arms that fit on each end to mount the end links

See also

• French curve

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

Anagrams

• pensil, Eplins, Pilsen, spinel, pinsel, L-spine, Esplin