external: Meaning and Definition of

ex•ter•nal

Pronunciation: (ik-stûr'nl), [key]
— adj.
  1. of or pertaining to the outside or outer part; outer: an external surface.
  2. to be applied to the outside of a body, as a remedy: for external use only.
  3. situated or being outside something; acting or coming from without: external influences.
  4. pertaining to the outward or visible appearance or show: external acts of worship.
  5. pertaining to or concerned with foreign countries: external affairs; external commerce.
  6. on the side farthest from the body, the median line, or the center of a radially symmetrical form.
  7. of or pertaining to the world of things, considered as independent of the perceiving mind: external world.
—n.
  1. the outside; outer surface; exterior.
  2. something that is external.
  3. external features, circumstances, etc.; outward appearance; superficialities.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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