Link Centre Dictionary

centripetal

cent·ri·pe·tal

UK/ˌsɛn.tɹɪˈpiː.tl̩/ US/sɛnˈtɹɪp.ə.tl̩/ uncommon

adjective

1.

tending to move toward a center

  • “centripetal force”
Antonyms
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2.

tending to unify

Synonyms
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3.

of a nerve fiber or impulse originating outside and passing toward the central nervous system

  • “sensory neurons”
Synonyms
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Origin

From New Latin centripetālis coined by Sir Isaac Newton, from Latin centrum (“center”) + petō (“to seek, aim”) + -al. Analysable as centri- + -petal.

Phrases

  • centripetal acceleration
  • centripetal force

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.