centripetal

[sen-trip-i-tl]

See more synonyms for centripetal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

directed toward the center (opposed to centrifugal).
operating by centripetal force.
Physiology. afferent.

Origin of centripetal

1700–10; < New Latin centripet(us) center-seeking (centri- centri- + -petus, derivative of Latin petere to seek) + -al¹

Related formscen·trip·e·tal·ism, nouncen·trip·e·tal·ly, adverbun·cen·trip·e·tal, adjective

Can be confusedcentrifugal centripetal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for centripetal

centripetal, integrable

Examples from the Web for centripetal

Contemporary Examples of centripetal

So inevitably the centripetal force of the establishment GOP will move toward Jeb Bush.
Why the GOP Needs a Return to the Bush Leagues
Robert Shrum
April 21, 2014
Which brings me to the ways Hartman generally tried to make "halachic community" seem wonderful—and centripetal.
In A Very Deep Way: Remembering Rabbi David Hartman
Bernard Avishai
February 21, 2013

Historical Examples of centripetal

My talent—if that's what you call it—was centrifugal, not centripetal.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 3, April 16, 1870
Various
The centrifugal force has been overbalanced by the centripetal.
A History of American Christianity
Leonard Woolsey Bacon
"Centrifugal, centripetal," he said, with his chin on his fist.
Tales of Space and Time
Herbert George Wells
Their action, in this respect, was centripetal as well as centrifugal.
Lives of the Engineers
Samuel Smiles
The powers which united have lost their specific, centripetal character.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology
Robert E. Park

British Dictionary definitions for centripetal

centripetal

adjective

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

Derived Formscentripetally, adverb

Word Origin for centripetal

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for centripetal

adj.

1709, from Modern Latin, coined 1687 by Sir Isaac Newton (who wrote in Latin), from Latin centri- alternative comb. form of centrum "center" (see center (n.)) + petere "to make for, go to; seek, strive after" (see petition (n.)). Centripetal force is Newton's vim ... centripetam.

centripetal in Medicine

centripetal

[sĕn-trĭp′ĭ-tl]

adj.

Moving or directed toward a center or axis.
Transmitting nerve impulses toward the central nervous system; afferent.

centripetal in Science

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.