radial

[ rey-dee-uhl ]

adjective

1. arranged like radii or rays.
2. having spokes, bars, lines, etc., arranged like radii, as a machine.
3. made in the direction of a radius; going from the center outward or from the circumference inward along a radius:

   a radial cut.

4. Zoology. pertaining to structures that radiate from a central point, as the arms of a starfish.
5. of, like, or pertaining to a radius or a ray.
6. Machinery.
   1. having pistons moving inward and outward from a central point or shaft:

      a radial engine; a radial pump.

   2. noting a bearing designed primarily to take thrusts radial to the center of rotation.
7. Anatomy, Entomology. of, relating to, or situated near the radius.
8. acting along or in the direction of the radius of a circle:

   radial motion; radial velocity.

noun

1. a radial section or construction.
2. Automotive. radial tire.

radial

/ ˈreɪdɪəl /

adjective

1. (of lines, bars, beams of light, etc) emanating from a common central point; arranged like the radii of a circle
2. of, like, or relating to a radius or ray
3. spreading out or developing uniformly on all sides
4. of or relating to the arms of a starfish or similar radiating structures
5. anatomy of or relating to the radius or forearm
6. astronomy (of velocity) in a direction along the line of sight of a celestial object and measured by means of the red shift (or blue shift) of the spectral lines of the object Compare tangential

noun

1. a radial part or section
2. zoology
   1. any of the basal fin rays of most bony fishes
   2. a radial or radiating structure, such as any of the ossicles supporting the oral disc of a sea star
3. short for radial tyre radial drilling machine

Derived Forms

• ˈradially, adverb

Other Words From

• radi·ali·ty noun
• radi·al·ly adverb
• multi·radi·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of radial¹

1560–70; < Medieval Latin radiālis, equivalent to Latin radi ( us ) beam, ray ( radius ) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of radial¹

C16: from Medieval Latin radiālis from radius

Example Sentences

Sansom gave Shardlake a deformed spine — unkind folks call him “crookback” — and, along with the prosthetics, Hughes, born with radial dysplasia, brings his own foreshortened, twisted right arm.

From Los Angeles Times

In a radial vortex, the magnetization points towards or away from the center of the structure.

From Science Daily

The researchers focused on a laser beam with radial polarization, known as a vector beam.

From Science Daily

These models include the emergence of atmospheres, the mixing of different gases, and radial migration.

From Science Daily

For the most recent study, the researchers joined TTV data with a radial velocity analysis of the star.

From Science Daily