centripetal

English

Etymology

From New Latin centripetālis coined by Sir Isaac Newton, from Latin centrum (“center”) + petō (“to seek, aim”) +‎ -al. Analysable as centri- +‎ -petal.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /sɛnˈtɹɪp.ə.tl̩/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌsɛn.tɹɪˈpiː.tl̩/, (rare) /sɛnˈtɹɪp.ə.tl̩/

Adjective

centripetal (not comparable)

1. Directed or moving towards a centre.
2. Of, relating to, or operated by centripetal force.
   • 1988, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions, Faber & Faber Limited (2021), page 141:

     It was a centripetal time, with me at the centre, everything gravitating towards me.

3. (neuroanatomy, of a nerve impulse) Directed towards the central nervous system; afferent.

Antonyms

• centrifugal

Derived terms

• centripetal acceleration
• centripetal force
• centripetalism
• centripetally
• subcentripetal

Translations

directed or moving towards a centre

• Armenian: կենտրոնաձիգ (hy) (kentronajig)
• Azerbaijani: mərkəzəqaçma
• Bulgarian: центростремителен (centrostremitelen)
• Catalan: centrípet m
• Czech: dostředivý m
• Finnish: sentripetaalinen (fi), keskihakuinen (fi)
• French: centripète (fr)
• German: zentripetal (de)
• Irish: láraimsitheach
• Russian: центростремительный (ru) (centrostremitelʹnyj)
• Spanish: centrípeto (es)
• Welsh: canolgyrchol

of, relating to, or operated by centripetal force

• Armenian: կենտրոնաձիգ (hy) (kentronajig)
• Azerbaijani: mərkəzəqaçma
• Catalan: centrípet m
• Greek: κεντρομόλος (el) (kentromólos)

directed towards the central nervous system

• Armenian: կենտրոնաձիգ (hy) (kentronajig)
• Catalan: centrípet m
• Finnish: keskihakuinen (fi)
• Spanish: centrípeto (es)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from German zentripetal. By surface analysis, centripet +‎ -al. Both the English and the German adjectives have their origin in the root of the Latin for 'centrum', combined with the Latin for 'searching': 'petere', and the suffix for adjectives '-al'. The Latin verb 'fugere', = 'fleeing', forms the second part of 'centrifugal', the antonym of 'centripetal'.

Adjective

centripetal m or n (feminine singular centripetală, masculine plural centripetali, feminine and neuter plural centripetale)

1. centripetal

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	centripetal		centripetală		centripetali	centripetale
	definite	centripetalul		centripetala		centripetalii	centripetalele
genitive- dative	indefinite	centripetal		centripetale		centripetali	centripetale
	definite	centripetalului		centripetalei		centripetalilor	centripetalelor