centripetal definition |Dictionary.com

centripetal

7 dictionary results for: centripetal

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

cen·trip·e·tal

[sen-trip-i-tl] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	directed toward the center (opposed to centrifugal).

2.	operating by centripetal force.

3.	Physiology. afferent.

[Origin: 1700–10; < NL centripet(us) center-seeking (centri- centri- + -petus, deriv. of L petere to seek) + -al¹

]

—Related forms

cen·trip·e·tal·ism, noun

cen·trip·e·tal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

cen·trip·e·tal (sěn-trĭp'ĭ-tl) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Moving or directed toward a center or axis.
Operated by means of centripetal force.
Physiology Transmitting nerve impulses toward the central nervous system; afferent.
Botany Developing or progressing inward toward the center or axis, as in the head of a sunflower, in which the oldest flowers are near the edge and the youngest flowers are in the center.
Tending or directed toward centralization: the centripetal effects of a homogeneous population.

cen·trip'e·tal·ly adv.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
centripetal

1709, from Mod.L., coined 1687 by Sir Isaac Newton from L. centri- alternate comb. form of centrum "center" (see center) + petere "to fall, rush out" (see petition).

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

centripetal
adjective
1.	tending to move toward a center; "centripetal force" [ant: centrifugal]
2.	tending to unify
3.	of a nerve fiber or impulse originating outside and passing toward the central nervous system; "sensory neurons"

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The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

centripetal (sěn-trĭp'ĭ-tl) Pronunciation Key

Moving or directed toward a center or axis, particularly one around which an object is spinning.
Transmitting nerve impulses toward the brain or spinal cord; afferent.
Developing or progressing inward toward a center or axis, as in the growth of plant structures. For example, in the disk of the inflorescence of a sunflower, the florets near the edge open first, and the ones in the center last. Compare centrifugal.

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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

centripetal cen·trip·e·tal (sěn-trĭp'ĭ-tl)
adj.

Moving or directed toward a center or axis.
Transmitting nerve impulses toward the central nervous system; afferent.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Centripetal

Cen*trip"e*tal\, a. [L. centrum center + petere to move toward.]

1. Tending, or causing, to approach the center.

2. (Bot.) (a) Expanding first at the base of the inflorescence, and proceeding in order towards the summit. (b) Having the radicle turned toward the axis of the fruit, as some embryos.

3. Progressing by changes from the exterior of a thing toward its center; as, the centripetal calcification of a bone. --R. Owen.

Centripetal force (Mech.), a force whose direction is towards a center, as in case of a planet revolving round the sun, the center of the system, See Centrifugal force, under Centrifugal.

Centripetal impression (Physiol.), an impression (sensory) transmitted by an afferent nerve from the exterior of the body inwards, to the central organ.

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