apical

[ey-pi-kuh l, ap-i-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR apical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, at, or forming the apex.

Phonetics. (of a speech sound) articulated principally with the aid of the tip of the tongue, as t or d.

noun

Phonetics. an apical sound.

Origin of apical

1820–30; < Latin apic- (stem of apex) apex + -al¹

Related formsa·pi·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for apical

acute, pointed, finest, dominant, preeminent, leading, primary, excellent, elite, principal, keen, salient, fine, tapering, prime, superior, head, lead, crowning

Examples from the Web for apical

Historical Examples of apical

The coat of the inner ball is thin and papery, and opens by an apical mouth.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
Apical: at, near or pertaining to the apex; usually of a wing.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
A small common central rod separates the two united pectoral feet from the two other spines (the caudal foot and the apical horn).
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, Second Part: Subclass Osculosa; Index
Ernst Haeckel
Apical horn half as long as the shell and the three feet; all four spines straight, cylindrical, with thickened club-shaped end.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, Second Part: Subclass Osculosa; Index
Ernst Haeckel
But in the Eutympanida both rings exhibit one simple gate only, the apical and the basal rod of the sagittal ring being lost.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, Second Part: Subclass Osculosa; Index
Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for apical

apical

adjective

of, at, or being the apex

of or denoting a consonant articulated with the tip of the tongue, such as (t) or (d)

Derived Formsapically, adverb

Word Origin for apical

C19: from New Latin apicālis, from Latin: apex

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for apical

adj.

"of or belonging to an apex," 1828, from Latin apicem, from apex (see apex) + -al (1).

apical in Medicine

apical

[ā′pĭ-kəl, ăp′ĭ-]

adj.

Relating to the apex of a pyramidal or pointed structure.

Situated nearer to the apex of a structure in relation to a specific reference point.

Related formsa′pi•cal•ly adv.