centripetal

[ sen-trip-i-tl ]

/ sɛnˈtrɪp ɪ tl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR centripetal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

directed toward the center (opposed to centrifugal).

operating by centripetal force.

Physiology. afferent.

RELATED WORDS

integrable

Nearby words

centrifuge, centrilobular, centrilobular emphysema, centring, centriole, centripetal, centripetal force, centripetal nerve, centrist, centro-, centroacinar cell

Origin of centripetal

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

Related forms

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

Can be confused

centrifugal centripetal

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Are not the dominant forces operating today centrifugal rather than centripetal?
Religion and the War|Various
The three parts—the centripetal fibre, the vesicle, and the centrifugal fibre—conjointly constitute a simple nervous arc.
History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume II (of 2)|John William Draper

The centripetal force, exerted through the cord, O A, pulls it aside from this direction of motion.
Scientific American Supplement, Vol. XXI., No. 531, March 6, 1886|Various
By this centripetal and centrifugal process, the social atmosphere is subjected to a continual state of agitation.
Continental Monthly, Vol. III, No IV, April 1863|Various
Every medullary thread, every centripetal and centrifugal filament in her entire body was excited over his coming.
Belford's Magazine, Volume II, No. 8, January, 1889|Various

British Dictionary definitions for centripetal

centripetal

/ (sɛnˈtrɪpɪtəl, ˈsɛntrɪˌpiːtəl) /

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 Forms

centripetally, 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

Medicine definitions for centripetal

centripetal

[ sĕn-trĭp′ĭ-tl ]

adj.

Moving or directed toward a center or axis.

Transmitting nerve impulses toward the central nervous system; afferent.

Science definitions for centripetal

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.