radial: Meaning and Definition of

ra•di•al

Pronunciation: (rā'dē-ul), [key]
— adj.
  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. 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. a radial engine; a radial pump.
    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. of, pertaining to, or situated near the radius.
  8. acting along or in the direction of the radius of a circle: radial motion; radial velocity.
—n.
  1. a radial section or construction.
  2. See
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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