Superelevation
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The angle that a gun must be elevated above the line of its target to allow for the effect of gravity on the projectile.
- 2 The cant of a railway track; the difference in elevation (height) between its two edges, as on a curve.
"In the third place, the superelevation and alignment of the track, theoretically calculated for speeds of 70 to 75 m.p.h., was adequate for the 80 to 85 m.p.h. or so normally attained as maxima over the G.N. main line; but nothing whatever had been done to prepare it for the enormous increment over these figures that this run was to produce."
Example
More examples"In the third place, the superelevation and alignment of the track, theoretically calculated for speeds of 70 to 75 m.p.h., was adequate for the 80 to 85 m.p.h. or so normally attained as maxima over the G.N. main line; but nothing whatever had been done to prepare it for the enormous increment over these figures that this run was to produce."
Etymology
From super- + elevation.
More for "superelevation"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.