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Literary notes about cusp (AI summary)

The term "cusp" is employed in literature to evoke a sense of a pointed edge or transitional moment, whether in concrete descriptions or as a metaphor for change. In anatomical or technical contexts, it denotes a projection or tip—as seen in detailed discussions of dental anatomy where albeit minor differences in shape carry significant meaning [1][2][3]. In architectural and ornamental descriptions, the word captures the essence of decorative points that punctuate design, such as in the elegant finials of a moulding or the intricate tracery of a window [4][5]. Meanwhile, in astrological writings, "cusp" marks the border between celestial houses or signs, symbolizing an intersection where contrasting qualities merge [6][7][8]. Even in poetic settings, it suggests a moment on the verge of transition, an edge where light or shadow defines the boundary of perception [9][10].
  1. In respect to their upper teeth, the incisors are small, equal, and have a hind cusp on the cingulum.
    — from A Hand-book to the Primates, Volume 1 (of 2) by Henry O. (Henry Ogg) Forbes
  2. Eventually the patient discovered the cusp on the top of the granulation tissue which had filled up the socket.
    — from Extraction of the Teeth by Frank Colyer
  3. The true and perfect cusp is single only.
    — from The Stones of Venice, Volume 1 (of 3) by John Ruskin
  4. Each outward projection of this round moulding ends in a large finial, so that there are five in all, one to each cusp and three to the pentagon.
    — from Portuguese Architecture by Walter Crum Watson
  5. To the humble laborer who dug the trenches, to the artist whose chisel carved foliage or cusp or capital, a share in our grateful memory is due."
    — from Authors and Writers Associated with MorristownWith a Chapter on Historic Morristown by Julia Keese Colles
  6. "Moon near cusp of the 11th, many friends, especially females.
    — from The Pleasures of Ignorance by Robert Lynd
  7. On the cusp of the Fourth House we place Capricornus 2, because the Fourth House is opposite the 10th and the sign Capricornus is opposite to Cancer.
    — from Astrology: How to Make and Read Your Own Horoscope by Sepharial
  8. At noon the Sun is on the cusp of the tenth house.
    — from How to Read the Crystal; or, Crystal and Seer by Sepharial
  9. The cusp of a watery moon faded in the gray dawn streaks of a muffled sky, and at last came the chairmen, with Jack running alert.
    — from Heralds of EmpireBeing the Story of One Ramsay Stanhope, Lieutenant to Pierre Radisson in the Northern Fur Trade by Agnes C. Laut
  10. They are, however, so high that they blunt the southern cusp of the moon when it is in crescent form.
    — from To Mars via The MoonAn Astronomical Story by Mark Wicks

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