As a noun, it can refer to a curve with the greatest lapse of proper time between two events in space-time, such as would be described by  a freely falling body.
As an adjective, it describes hypotheses concerning the precise shape of the Earth and the significance thereof. As a noun, it can refer to a curve with the greatest lapse of proper time between two events in space-time, such as would be described by  a freely falling body. Generally, they are the curves of minimal path length in a certain metric space, such as a great circle on a sphere. FTP, what is this term which Buckminster Fuller used to describe his domes?
As an adjective, it describes hypotheses concerning the precise shape of the Earth and the significance thereof.
geodesic