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tubular

[too-byuh-ler, tyoo-]
adjective
  1. having the form or shape of a tube; tubiform.
  2. of or relating to a tube or tubes.
  3. characterized by or consisting of tubes.
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Origin of tubular

1665–75; < New Latin tubulāris; see tubule, -ar1
Related formstu·bu·lar·i·ty, nountu·bu·lar·ly, adverbin·ter·tu·bu·lar, adjectivemul·ti·tu·bu·lar, adjectivenon·tu·bu·lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tubular

Historical Examples

  • The garment is tubular and unprovided with hinges at the points of flexion.

    The Devil's Dictionary

    Ambrose Bierce

  • Much to Quirl's delight, the long, tubular passage was deserted.

    In the Orbit of Saturn

    Roman Frederick Starzl

  • It seemed a flimsy structure, supported only by tubular steel.

    The Stutterer

    R.R. Merliss

  • In these cases the tubular form may rather be due to dilatation than to cohesion.

    Vegetable Teratology

    Maxwell T. Masters

  • This was the first bridge ever built on the tubular principle.

    The Iron Horse

    R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for tubular

tubular

adjective
  1. Also: tubiform (ˈtjuːbɪˌfɔːm) having the form of a tube or tubes
  2. of or relating to a tube or tubing
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Derived Formstubularity, nountubularly, adverb
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 tubular

adj.

1670s, "having the form of a tube or pipe," from Latin tubulus "a small pipe" (see tube) + -ar. Teen slang sense attested by 1982, Valspeak, apparently from surfers' slang for a hollow, curling wave, ideal for riding.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper