elastica

noun elasticas

1. A curve that minimizes bending energy; the shape that a thin flexible rod assumes when its endpoints are fixed. This paper studies the snap-through of a pinned-clamped elastica when the support of the clamped end can be moved arbitrarily in plane. The universal snap curve, which describes the critical boundary conditions of the pinned-clamped elasticas, is firstly obtained by determining the saddle-node bifur
2. Connective tissue that contains elastic fibers, such as that found in blood vessels or skin. That the elastica interna becomes so modified in its staining properties, so swollen as to exceed ten times the original elastica in thickness, is a fact that cannot be doubted.