latus rectum: Meaning and Definition of

la•tus rec•tum

Pronunciation: (lā'tus rek'tum), [key]
— pl. la•ter•a rec•ta
  1. the chord perpendicular to the principal axis and passing through a focus of an ellipse, parabola, or hyperbola.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.