osculation

[ os-kyuh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of kissing.
2. a kiss.
3. close contact.
4. Geometry. the contact between two osculating curves or the like.

osculation

/ ˌɒskjʊˈleɪʃən; ˈɒskjʊlətərɪ; -trɪ /

noun

1. Also calledtacnode maths a point at which two branches of a curve have a common tangent, each branch extending in both directions of the tangent
2. rare.
   the act or an instance of kissing

Derived Forms

• osculatory, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of osculation¹

1650–60; < Latin ōsculātiōn- (stem of ōsculātiō ) a kissing, equivalent to ōsculāt ( us ) ( osculate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

You won’t find “come from away” or “screech-in”—a mock ceremony depicted in the musical that confers Newfoundland “citizenship,” featuring extreme drunkenness and the osculation of a raw cod—in the Oxford English Dictionary.

From The New Yorker

One of the play's more memorable exchanges directly engages the all-important subject of theatrical osculation.

From Los Angeles Times

I suppose he was afraid she would have no lips left after such reiterated osculation.

From Project Gutenberg

On the same day I saw “Vanya,” I was treated to a more optimistic act of osculation in the afternoon.

From New York Times

Acts of osculation have of course been known to sweep people off their feet.

From New York Times