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radical - 13 dictionary results

rad⋅i⋅cal

  [rad-i-kuhl]
Use radical in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or going to the root or origin; fundamental: a radical difference.
2. thoroughgoing or extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional forms: a radical change in the policy of a company.
3. favoring drastic political, economic, or social reforms: radical ideas; radical and anarchistic ideologues.
4. forming a basis or foundation.
5. existing inherently in a thing or person: radical defects of character.
6. Mathematics.
a. pertaining to or forming a root.
b. denoting or pertaining to the radical sign.
c. irrational (def. 5b).
7. Grammar. of or pertaining to a root.
8. Botany. of or arising from the root or the base of the stem.
–noun
9. a person who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles; extremist.
10. a person who advocates fundamental political, economic, and social reforms by direct and often uncompromising methods.
11. Mathematics.
a. a quantity expressed as a root of another quantity.
b. the set of elements of a ring, some power of which is contained in a given ideal.
c. radical sign.
12. Chemistry.
a. group (def. 3).
b. free radical.
13. Grammar. root (def. 11).
14. (in Chinese writing) one of 214 ideographic elements used in combination with phonetics to form thousands of different characters.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < LL rādīcālis having roots, equiv. to L rādīc- (s. of rādīx) root 1 + -ālis -al 1

Related forms:
rad⋅i⋅cal⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. basic, essential; original, innate, ingrained. 2. complete, unqualified, thorough; drastic, excessive, immoderate, violent. Radical, extreme, fanatical denote that which goes beyond moderation or even to excess in opinion, belief, action, etc. Radical emphasizes the idea of going to the root of a matter, and this often seems immoderate in its thoroughness or completeness: radical ideas; radical changes or reforms. Extreme applies to excessively biased ideas, intemperate conduct, or repressive legislation: to use extreme measures. Fanatical is applied to a person who has extravagant views, esp. in matters of religion or morality, which render that person incapable of sound judgments; and excessive zeal which leads him or her to take violent action against those who have differing views: fanatical in persecuting others.

Antonyms:
1, 2. superficial.

group

  [groop]
–noun
1. any collection or assemblage of persons or things; cluster; aggregation: a group of protesters; a remarkable group of paintings.
2. a number of persons or things ranged or considered together as being related in some way.
3. Also called radical. Chemistry. two or more atoms specifically arranged, as the hydroxyl group, –OH. Compare free radical.
4. Linguistics.
a. (in the classification of related languages within a family) a category of a lower order than a subbranch and of a higher order than a subgroup: the Low German group of West Germanic languages.
b. any grouping of languages, whether it is made on the basis of geography, genetic relationship, or something else.
5. Geology. a division of stratified rocks comprising two or more formations.
6. Military.
a. Army. a flexible administrative and tactical unit consisting of two or more battalions and a headquarters.
b. Air Force. an administrative and operational unit subordinate to a wing, usually composed of two or more squadrons.
7. Music. a section of an orchestra comprising the instruments of the same class.
8. Art. a number of figures or objects shown in an arrangement together.
9. Mathematics. an algebraic system that is closed under an associative operation, as multiplication or addition, and in which there is an identity element that, on operating on another element, leaves the second element unchanged, and in which each element has corresponding to it a unique element that, on operating on the first, results in the identity element.
10. Grammar (chiefly British). a phrase: nominal group; verbal group.
–verb (used with object)
11. to place or associate together in a group, as with others.
12. to arrange in or form into a group or groups.
–verb (used without object)
13. to form a group.
14. to be part of a group.
Origin:
1665–75; < F groupe < It gruppo ≪ Gmc

Related forms:
groupwise, adverb

Synonyms:
12. order, organize, classify, combine.

Usage note:
1, 2. See collective noun.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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rad·i·cal   (rād'ĭ-kəl)   
adj.  
  1. Arising from or going to a root or source; basic: proposed a radical solution to the problem.
  2. Departing markedly from the usual or customary; extreme: radical opinions on education.
  3. Favoring or effecting fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions: radical political views.
  4. Linguistics Of or being a root: a radical form.
  5. Botany Arising from the root or its crown: radical leaves.
  6. Slang Excellent; wonderful.
n.  
  1. One who advocates fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions: radicals seeking to overthrow the social order.
  2. Mathematics The root of a quantity as indicated by the radical sign.
  3. Symbol R An atom or a group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron.
  4. Linguistics See root1.

[Middle English, of a root, from Late Latin rādīcālis, having roots, from Latin rādīx, rādīc-, root; see wrād- in Indo-European roots.]
rad'i·cal·ly adv., rad'i·cal·ness n.
root 1   (rōōt, rŏŏt)   
n.  
  1. The usually underground portion of a plant that lacks buds, leaves, or nodes and serves as support, draws minerals and water from the surrounding soil, and sometimes stores food.
  2. Any of various other underground plant parts, especially an underground stem such as a rhizome, corm, or tuber.
    1. The embedded part of an organ or structure such as a hair, tooth, or nerve, that serves as a base or support.
    2. A base or support: We snipped the wires at the roots.
    3. The condition of being settled and of belonging to a particular place or society. Often used in the plural: Our roots in this town go back a long way.
    4. roots The state of having or establishing an indigenous relationship with or a personal affinity for a particular culture, society, or environment: music with unmistakable African roots.
    5. The element that carries the main component of meaning in a word and provides the basis from which a word is derived by adding affixes or inflectional endings or by phonetic change.
    6. Such an element reconstructed for a protolanguage. Also called radical.
    7. A number that when multiplied by itself an indicated number of times forms a product equal to a specified number. For example, a fourth root of 4 is √2. Also called nth root.
    8. A number that reduces a polynomial equation in one variable to an identity when it is substituted for the variable.
    9. A number at which a polynomial has the value zero.
    10. The note from which a chord is built.
    11. Such a note occurring as the lowest note of a triad or other chord.
  4. An essential part or element; the basic core: I finally got to the root of the problem.
  5. A primary source; an origin. See Synonyms at origin.
  6. A progenitor or ancestor from which a person or family is descended.
    1. The condition of being settled and of belonging to a particular place or society. Often used in the plural: Our roots in this town go back a long way.
    2. roots The state of having or establishing an indigenous relationship with or a personal affinity for a particular culture, society, or environment: music with unmistakable African roots.
    3. The element that carries the main component of meaning in a word and provides the basis from which a word is derived by adding affixes or inflectional endings or by phonetic change.
    4. Such an element reconstructed for a protolanguage. Also called radical.
    5. A number that when multiplied by itself an indicated number of times forms a product equal to a specified number. For example, a fourth root of 4 is √2. Also called nth root.
    6. A number that reduces a polynomial equation in one variable to an identity when it is substituted for the variable.
    7. A number at which a polynomial has the value zero.
    8. The note from which a chord is built.
    9. Such a note occurring as the lowest note of a triad or other chord.
  8. Linguistics
    1. The element that carries the main component of meaning in a word and provides the basis from which a word is derived by adding affixes or inflectional endings or by phonetic change.
    2. Such an element reconstructed for a protolanguage. Also called radical.
    3. A number that when multiplied by itself an indicated number of times forms a product equal to a specified number. For example, a fourth root of 4 is √2. Also called nth root.
    4. A number that reduces a polynomial equation in one variable to an identity when it is substituted for the variable.
    5. A number at which a polynomial has the value zero.
    6. The note from which a chord is built.
    7. Such a note occurring as the lowest note of a triad or other chord.
  9. Mathematics
    1. A number that when multiplied by itself an indicated number of times forms a product equal to a specified number. For example, a fourth root of 4 is √2. Also called nth root.
    2. A number that reduces a polynomial equation in one variable to an identity when it is substituted for the variable.
    3. A number at which a polynomial has the value zero.
    4. The note from which a chord is built.
    5. Such a note occurring as the lowest note of a triad or other chord.
  10. Music
    1. The note from which a chord is built.
    2. Such a note occurring as the lowest note of a triad or other chord.
v.   root·ed, root·ing, roots

v.   intr.
  1. To grow roots or a root.
  2. To become firmly established, settled, or entrenched.
  3. To come into existence; originate.
v.   tr.
  1. To cause to put out roots and grow.
  2. To implant by or as if by the roots.
  3. To furnish a primary source or origin to.
  4. To remove by or as if by the roots. Often used with up or out: "declared that waste and fraud will be vigorously rooted out of Government" (New York Times).

[Middle English rot, from Old English rōt, from Old Norse; see wrād- in Indo-European roots.]
root'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Radical

Rad"i*cal\, a. [F., fr. L. radicalis having roots, fr. radix, -icis, a root. See Radix.]

1. Of or pertaining to the root; proceeding directly from the root.

2. Hence: Of or pertaining to the root or origin; reaching to the center, to the foundation to the ultimate sources to the principles, or the like: original; fundamental; thorough-going; unsparing; extreme; as, radical evils; radical reform; a radical party.

The most determined exertions of that authority, against them, only showed their radical independence. --Burke.

3. (Bot.) (a) Belonging to, or proceeding from, the root of a plant; as, radical tubers or hairs. (b) Proceeding from a rootlike stem, or one which does not rise above the ground; as, the radical leaves of the dandelion and the sidesaddle flower.

4. (Philol.) Relating, or belonging, to the root, or ultimate source of derivation; as, a radical verbal form.

5. (Math.) Of or pertaining to a radix or root; as, a radical quantity; a radical sign. See below.

Radical axis of two circles. (Geom.) See under Axis.

Radical pitch, the pitch or tone with which the utterance of a syllable begins. --Rush.

Radical quantity (Alg.), a quantity to which the radical sign is prefixed; specifically, a quantity which is not a perfect power of the degree indicated by the radical sign; a surd.

Radical sign (Math.), the sign [root] (originally the letter r, the initial of radix, root), placed before any quantity, denoting that its root is to be extracted; thus, [root]a, or [root](a + b). To indicate any other than the square root, a corresponding figure is placed over the sign; thus [cuberoot]a, indicates the third or cube root of a.

Radical stress (Elocution), force of utterance falling on the initial part of a syllable or sound.

Radical vessels (Anat.), minute vessels which originate in the substance of the tissues.

Syn: Primitive; original; natural; underived; fundamental; entire.

Usage: Radical, Entire. These words are frequently employed as interchangeable in describing some marked alternation in the condition of things. There is, however, an obvious difference between them. A radical cure, reform, etc., is one which goes to the root of the thing in question; and it is entire, in the sense that, by affecting the root, it affects in a appropriate degree the entire body nourished by the root; but it may not be entire in the sense of making a change complete in its nature, as well as in its extent. Hence, we speak of a radical change; a radical improvement; radical differences of opinion; while an entire change, an entire improvement, an entire difference of opinion, might indicate more than was actually intended. A certain change may be both radical and entire, in every sense.

Radical

Rad"i*cal\, n. 1. (Philol.) (a) A primitive word; a radix, root, or simple, underived, uncompounded word; an etymon. (b) A primitive letter; a letter that belongs to the radix.

The words we at present make use of, and understand only by common agreement, assume a new air and life in the understanding, when you trace them to their radicals, where you find every word strongly stamped with nature; full of energy, meaning, character, painting, and poetry. --Cleland.

2. (Politics) One who advocates radical changes in government or social institutions, especially such changes as are intended to level class inequalities; -- opposed to conservative.

In politics they [the Independents] were, to use phrase of their own time. "Root-and-Branch men," or, to use the kindred phrase of our own, Radicals. --Macaulay.

3. (Chem.) (a) A characteristic, essential, and fundamental constituent of any compound; hence, sometimes, an atom.

As a general rule, the metallic atoms are basic radicals, while the nonmetallic atoms are acid radicals. --J. P. Cooke. (b) Specifically, a group of two or more atoms, not completely saturated, which are so linked that their union implies certain properties, and are conveniently regarded as playing the part of a single atom; a residue; -- called also a compound radical. Cf. Residue.

4. (Alg.) A radical quantity. See under Radical, a.

An indicated root of a perfect power of the degree indicated is not a radical but a rational quantity under a radical form. --Davies & Peck (Math. Dict.)

5. (Anat.) A radical vessel. See under Radical, a.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : radical
Spanish: radical, fundamental,
German: fundamental,
Japanese: 根本的な
More Translations »

radical

In politics, someone who demands substantial or extreme changes in the existing system.


radical

In chemistry, an atom or group of atoms that has at least one electron free to participate in forming a chemical bond.

Note: In general, radicals are associated with chemical reactions that proceed rapidly.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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radical 
1398 (adj.), in a medieval philosophical sense, from L.L. radicalis "of or having roots," from L. radix (gen. radicis) "root" (see radish). Meaning "going to the origin, essential" is from 1651. Political sense of "reformist" (via notion of "change from the roots") is first recorded 1802 (n.), 1820 (adj.), of the extreme section of the British Liberal party (radical reform had been a current phrase since 1786); meaning "unconventional" is from 1921. U.S. youth slang use is from 1983, from 1970s surfer slang meaning "at the limits of control." Radical chic is attested from 1970.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: 1rad·i·cal
Pronunciation: 'rad-i-k&l
Function: adjective
1 : designed to remove the root of a disease or alldiseased tissue <radical surgery>
2 : involving complete removal of an organ <radical prostatectomy> <radical cystectomy> —compare CONSERVATIVE —rad·i·cal·ly /-i-k(&-)lE/ adverb

Main Entry: 2radical
Function: noun
: FREE RADICAL; also : a groupof atoms bonded together that is considered an entity in various kinds of reactions
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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radical rad·i·cal (rād'ĭ-kəl)
n.
Abbr. R

  1. A group of elements or atoms usually passing intact from one compound to another but generally incapable of prolonged existence in a free state.
  2. A free radical.
adj.
  1. Of or being medical treatment by extreme, drastic, or innovative measures.
  2. Designed to act on or eliminate the root or cause of a pathological process.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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radical   (rād'ĭ-kəl)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A root, such as √2, especially as indicated by a radical sign (√).
  2. A group of atoms that behaves as a unit in chemical reactions and is often not stable except as part of a molecule. The hydroxyl, ethyl, and phenyl radicals are examples. Radicals are unchanged by chemical reactions.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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