areal

[ air-ee-uhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the extent of a bounded surface or two-dimensional space:

   The evaporation model was applied to surfaces of overgrown water having up to 15% areal plant cover.

2. of or relating to a particular geographical region:

   Heavy rainfall produced areal flooding in the county, leaving several dirt roads washed out and a few county roads closed.

3. of or relating to a particular field of study:

   Topical and areal strengths of the Anthropology department include cultural politics, economic anthropology, historical archaeology, and Latin American studies.

Other Words From

• ar·e·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of areal¹

First recorded in 1670–70; from Latin āreālis, from āre(a) “vacant piece of level ground, open space in a town, threshing floor” + -ālis -al ¹( def ); area ( def )

Example Sentences

For a more crystal-clear areal view, check out the high-resolution Satellite layers.

From Outside Online

Six varieties can be distinguished, however, each with a considerable areal extent.

From Project Gutenberg

However, it is in the highest degree improbable that the computer of hides was aiming at pure areal measurement.

From Project Gutenberg

The system of line-coordinates allied to the areal system of point-coordinates has special interest.

From Project Gutenberg

The porphyry deposits are of an undulating blanket form of considerable areal extent and shallow depth.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• provincial