Dictionary

spherical en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈsfɛɹɪkəl/
• (US) audio
• /ˈsfiːɹɪkəl/

Etymology

English spheric [from Latin sphaericus, from Ancient Greek σφαιρικός (sphairikós)] + -al.

Meanings

1. Shaped as a sphere; being a sphere.
   • The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone, essentially what today we might term a frameless magnifying glass or plain glass paperweight. 2013 September-October, Henry Petroski, “The Evolution of Eyeglasses”, in American Scientist:
2. (not-comparable) Of, or pertaining to, spheres.
3. Of a coordinate system, specifying the location of a point in a plane by using a radius and two angles.
4. Of or relating to the heavenly orbs, or to the sphere or spheres in which, according to ancient astronomy and astrology, they were set.
   • Knaves, thieves, and treachers by spherical predominance. c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
5. Of a multivariate probability distribution, to have a covariance matrix equal to the identity matrix up to a multiplicative factor.
   • a spherical Gaussian distribution

Forms

Coordinates

spheroidal · spherelike

Deriveds

semispherical · spherical cone · conospherical · spherical geometry · biospherical · spherical distance · hemispherical · nonspherical · spherical mirror · sphericalization · spherical nucleic acid · spherical linear interpolation · spherical polyhedron · spherical sector · spherical triangle · nanospherical · sphericalness · pseudospherical · spherical chicken · spherical segment · spherical trigonometry · microspherical · quasispherical · pentaspherical · bispherical · ultraspherical · monospherical · sphericality · neurospherical · subspherical · spherical excess · spherical cow · conicospherical · extraspherical · demispherical · intraspherical · spherical lune · perispherical · spherical cap · spherically · sphericity · spherical polygon · macrospherical · spherical aberration · spherical harmonics · spherical wedge · tetraspherical · hyperspherical · fluorospherical · spherical coordinates · spherical angle · aspherical · spherical curve

Synonyms

orbicular · globular · round · spheral · spheric

Translations (78)

nn sfærisk (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · el σφαιρικός (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · da sfærisk (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · su buleud (shaped like a sphere) · ast esféricu (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · nb sfærisk (shaped like a sphere) · cmn 球形的 (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · pl sferyczny (shaped like a sphere) · de sphärisch (shaped like a sphere) · pdt runt (shaped like a sphere) · ga sféarúil (shaped like a sphere) · tl timbulugin (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · ru сфери́ческий (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · tl timbulugin (shaped like a sphere) · sv klotformad (shaped like a sphere) · cmn 球形的 (shaped like a sphere) · tl timbulog (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · de kugelig (shaped like a sphere) · nb sfærisk (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · pl sferyczny (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · uk сфери́чний (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · bg сферичен (shaped like a sphere) · et sfääriline (shaped like a sphere) · la globōsus (shaped like a sphere) · fr sphérique (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · fi pyöreä (shaped like a sphere) · hu gömbölyű (shaped like a sphere) · ka სფერული (shaped like a sphere) · oc esferic (shaped like a sphere) · hi वलयाकार (shaped like a sphere) · it sferico (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · as ঘূৰণীয়া (shaped like a sphere) · gl esférico (shaped like a sphere) · id bulat (shaped like a sphere) · tl timbulog (shaped like a sphere) · uk куля́стий (shaped like a sphere) · ast esféricu (shaped like a sphere) · cmn 球面的 (shaped like a sphere) · ro sferic (shaped like a sphere) · ca esfèric (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · uk сфери́чний (shaped like a sphere) · hi गोलाकार (shaped like a sphere) · ps غونډ (shaped like a sphere) · eo sfera (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · sco spherical (shaped like a sphere) · el σφαιρικός (shaped like a sphere) · da sfærisk (shaped like a sphere) · hy գնդաձեւ (shaped like a sphere) · kk домалақ (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · fi pallomainen (shaped like a sphere) · pt esférico (shaped like a sphere) · de kugelförmig (shaped like a sphere) · gl esférico (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · as টুপুৰা (shaped like a sphere) · es esférico (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · fi pallo (pallo-) (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · fr sphérique (shaped like a sphere) · nl bolvormig (shaped like a sphere) · ru сфери́ческий (shaped like a sphere) · ota یومرو (shaped like a sphere) · ps غونډ (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · sv sfärisk (shaped like a sphere) · de kugelförmig (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · eo sfereca (shaped like a sphere) · ar كُرَوِيّ (shaped like a sphere) · my လုံး (shaped like a sphere) · es esférico (shaped like a sphere) · ota طوپاق (shaped like a sphere) · pt esférico (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · cs kulovitý (shaped like a sphere) · la sphaericus (shaped like a sphere) · ca esfèric (shaped like a sphere) · as গোল (shaped like a sphere) · cmn 球面的 (of or relating to a sphere or spheres) · nn sfærisk (shaped like a sphere) · pl kulisty (shaped like a sphere) · bg кълбовиден (shaped like a sphere) · it sferico (shaped like a sphere)