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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

centripetal en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /sɛnˈtɹɪp.ə.tl̩/ (General-American)
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /sɛnˈtɹɪp.ə.tl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation, rare)
  • /ˌsɛn.tɹɪˈpiː.tl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

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

Meanings

  1. (not-comparable) Directed or moving towards a centre.
    • It was a centripetal time, with me at the centre, everything gravitating towards me. 1988, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions, Faber & Faber Limited (2021), page 141:
  2. (not-comparable, of a nerve impulse) Directed towards the central nervous system; afferent.

Antonyms

centrifugal

Deriveds

centripetalism · centripetally · centripetal force · centripetal acceleration · subcentripetal

Translations (22)

it centripeto (directed or moving towards a centre) · cs dostředivý (directed or moving towards a centre) · az mərkəzəqaçma (directed or moving towards a centre) · hy կենտրոնաձիգ (directed towards the central nervous system) · ga láraimsitheach (directed or moving towards a centre) · lt įcentrinis (directed or moving towards a centre) · fr centripète (directed or moving towards a centre) · fi sentripetaalinen (directed or moving towards a centre) · pl dośrodkowy (directed or moving towards a centre) · cy canolgyrchol (directed or moving towards a centre) · es centrípeto (directed or moving towards a centre) · el κεντρομόλος (directed or moving towards a centre) · ca centrípet (directed towards the central nervous system) · ru центростреми́тельный (directed or moving towards a centre) · de zentripetal (directed or moving towards a centre) · ca centrípet (directed or moving towards a centre) · fi keskihakuinen (directed towards the central nervous system) · nl middelpuntzoekend (directed or moving towards a centre) · es centrípeto (directed towards the central nervous system) · hy կենտրոնաձիգ (directed or moving towards a centre) · bg центростремителен (directed or moving towards a centre) · fi keskihakuinen (directed or moving towards a centre)