tubular

[too-byuh-ler, tyoo-]

adjective

having the form or shape of a tube; tubiform.

of or relating to a tube or tubes.

characterized by or consisting of tubes.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for tubular

Historical Examples of tubular

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

Also: tubiform (ˈtjuːbɪˌfɔːm) having the form of a tube or tubes

of or relating to a tube or tubing

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.