centripetal
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English
Etymology
From New Latin centripetālis coined by Sir Isaac Newton, from Latin centrum (“center”) + petō (“to seek, aim”) + -al. Analysable as centri- + -petal.
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /sɛnˈtɹɪp.ə.tl̩/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌsɛn.tɹɪˈpiː.tl̩/, (rare) /sɛnˈtɹɪp.ə.tl̩/
Adjective
centripetal (not comparable)
- Directed or moving towards a centre.
- Of, relating to, or operated by centripetal force.
- 1988, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions, Faber & Faber Limited (2021), page 141:
- It was a centripetal time, with me at the centre, everything gravitating towards me.
- (neuroanatomy, of a nerve impulse) Directed towards the central nervous system; afferent.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
directed or moving towards a centre
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of, relating to, or operated by centripetal force
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directed towards the central nervous system
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Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from German zentripetal. By surface analysis, centripet + -al. Both the English and the German adjectives have their origin in the root of the Latin for 'centrum', combined with the Latin for 'searching': 'petere', and the suffix for adjectives '-al'. The Latin verb 'fugere', = 'fleeing', forms the second part of 'centrifugal', the antonym of 'centripetal'.
Adjective
centripetal m or n (feminine singular centripetală, masculine plural centripetali, feminine and neuter plural centripetale)
Declension
| singular | plural | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | |||
| nominative- accusative |
indefinite | centripetal | centripetală | centripetali | centripetale | |||
| definite | centripetalul | centripetala | centripetalii | centripetalele | ||||
| genitive- dative |
indefinite | centripetal | centripetale | centripetali | centripetale | |||
| definite | centripetalului | centripetalei | centripetalilor | centripetalelor | ||||