What is the most suitable word to put in that gap? Something that corresponds to the study of circles.
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I'm surprised there isn't a more common name. Aren't circles the basis of all trigonometric functions? There should be a word like Circonometry or something. – Ogen Feb 23 '15 at 10:51
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You can post that as an answer, I think cyclometry is as close as you'll get. – Ogen Feb 23 '15 at 10:54
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1How about this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse_trigonometric_functions. It's occasionally called cyclometric functions – Adnan Feb 23 '15 at 11:04
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@Adriandmen: Mind if I add that link to my answer? – Regret Feb 23 '15 at 11:05
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@Regret No problem :) – Adnan Feb 23 '15 at 11:05
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@Ogen: I posted it as an answer. – Regret Feb 23 '15 at 11:24
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The word trigonometry comes from the Greek words for triangle and measure. If you wanted to create a word for measurement of circles with a similar etymology, you could use the Greek word κύκλος, meaning circle, to get "cyclometry".
This word appears to be in at least some use:
Regret
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circle geometry. Trigonometry means the study of triangles. So the study of circles is circle geometry.
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+1. Trigonometry does not mean measurement of triangles, although it historically and etymologically grew out of that practical discipline. (So "cyclometry" is a plain wrong answer as per the references given "for it".) The main problem with "circle geometry", though, is, is there really enough to study in it, so as to deserve a standard term for the area of study? A triangle is a much richer geometric object than a circle. – Jirka Hanika Feb 24 '15 at 14:26
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@Jirka: I can understand how the first link presented does not define "cyclometry" in the same sense as "trigonometry" is now defined, but what of the second? Calling the inverses of "trigonometric" functions the "cyclometric" functions seems to me to be use of the word in the same sense, as in study rather than measurement. – Regret Feb 25 '15 at 10:36
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@Regret - Fair point. My parenthesis above should have really only talked about your first reference. To answer your question, I see "trigonometric functions" and "cyclometric functions" as being in the sense "measurement"; so my problem with reference #2 is that it does not directly use the word "cyclometry", and I see the semantic gap between a "cyclometric function" (measurement) and "cyclometry" (study) as a big one. Nothing against how you formed the word by analogy, but I failed to find any clear indications that the "study of circles" really exists or has a single word term for it. – Jirka Hanika Feb 25 '15 at 17:07