centripetal
UK /ˌsɛn.tɹɪˈpiː.tl̩/ · US /sɛnˈtɹɪp.ə.tl̩/ adjective
- adjective Directed or moving towards a centre.
- adjective (neuroanatomy, of a nerve impulse) Directed towards the central nervous system; afferent.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From New Latin centripetālis coined by Sir Isaac Newton, from Latin centrum (“center”) + petō (“to seek, aim”) + -al. Analysable as centri- + -petal.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Tending, or causing, to approach the center.
- adjective (a) Expanding first at the base of the inflorescence, and proceeding in order towards the summit. (b) Having the radicle turned toward the axis of the fruit, as some embryos.
Etymology [L. centrum center + peter to more toward.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “centripetal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details