centripetal
[sen-trip-i-tl]
- directed toward the center (opposed to centrifugal).
- centripetal force.
- Physiology. afferent.
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Origin of centripetal
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for centripetal
Contemporary Examples
So inevitably the centripetal force of the establishment GOP will move toward Jeb Bush.
Which brings me to the ways Hartman generally tried to make "halachic community" seem wonderful—and centripetal.
Historical Examples
My talent—if that's what you call it—was centrifugal, not centripetal.
The centrifugal force has been overbalanced by the centripetal.
A History of American ChristianityLeonard Woolsey Bacon
"Centrifugal, centripetal," he said, with his chin on his fist.
Tales of Space and TimeHerbert George Wells
Their action, in this respect, was centripetal as well as centrifugal.
Lives of the EngineersSamuel Smiles
The powers which united have lost their specific, centripetal character.
Introduction to the Science of SociologyRobert E. Park
centripetal
- acting, moving, or tending to move towards a centreCompare centrifugal
- of, concerned with, or operated by centripetal force
- botany (esp of certain inflorescences) developing from the outside towards the centre
- physiol another word for afferent
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Word Origin
C17: from New Latin centripetus seeking the centre; see centri-, -petal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for centripetal
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
centripetal
(sĕn-trĭp′ĭ-tl)- Moving or directed toward a center or axis.
- Transmitting nerve impulses toward the central nervous system; afferent.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
centripetal
[sĕn-trĭp′ĭ-tl]
- Moving or directed toward a center or axis, particularly one around which an object is spinning.
- Transmitting nerve impulses toward the brain or spinal cord; afferent.
- Developing or progressing inward toward a center or axis, as in the growth of plant structures. For example, in the disk of the inflorescence of a sunflower, the florets near the edge open first, and the ones in the center last. Compare centrifugal.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.