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radical |
3 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Radical \Rad"i*cal\, a. [F., fr L. radicalis having roots, fr radix, -icis, a root. See {Radix}.] 1. Of or pertaining to the root; proceeding directly from the root. 2. Hence: Of or pertaining to the root or origin; reaching to the center, to the foundation to the ultimate sources to the principles, or the like: original; fundamental; thorough-going; unsparing; extreme; as radical evils; radical reform; a radical party. The most determined exertions of that authority, against them only showed their radical independence. --Burke. 3. (Bot.) a Belonging to or proceeding from the root of a plant; as radical tubers or hairs. b Proceeding from a rootlike stem, or one which does not rise above the ground; as the radical leaves of the dandelion and the sidesaddle flower. 4. (Philol.) Relating, or belonging, to the root, or ultimate source of derivation; as a radical verbal form 5. (Math.) Of or pertaining to a radix or root; as a radical quantity; a radical sign. See below. {Radical axis of two circles}. (Geom.) See under {Axis}. {Radical pitch}, the pitch or tone with which the utterance of a syllable begins. --Rush. {Radical quantity} (Alg.), a quantity to which the radical sign is prefixed; specifically, a quantity which is not a perfect power of the degree indicated by the radical sign; a surd. {Radical sign} (Math.), the sign [root] (originally the letter r, the initial of radix, root), placed before any quantity, denoting that its root is to be extracted; thus [root]a, or [root](a + b). To indicate any other than the square root, a corresponding figure is placed over the sign; thus [cuberoot]a, indicates the third or cube root of a. {Radical stress} (Elocution), force of utterance falling on the initial part of a syllable or sound. {Radical vessels} (Anat.), minute vessels which originate in the substance of the tissues. Syn: Primitive; original; natural; underived; fundamental; entire. Usage: {Radical}, {Entire}. These words are frequently employed as interchangeable in describing some marked alternation in the condition of things There is however, an obvious difference between them A radical cure, reform, etc., is one which goes to the root of the thing in question; and it is entire, in the sense that by affecting the root, it affects in a appropriate degree the entire body nourished by the root; but it may not be entire in the sense of making a change complete in its nature, as well as in its extent. Hence we speak of a radical change; a radical improvement; radical differences of opinion; while an entire change, an entire improvement, an entire difference of opinion, might indicate more than was actually intended. A certain change may be both radical and entire, in every sense From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Radical \Rad"i*cal\, n. 1. (Philol.) a A primitive word a radix, root, or simple, underived, uncompounded word an etymon. b A primitive letter; a letter that belongs to the radix. The words we at present make use of and understand only by common agreement, assume a new air and life in the understanding, when you trace them to their radicals, where you find every word strongly stamped with nature; full of energy, meaning, character, painting, and poetry. --Cleland. 2. (Politics) One who advocates radical changes in government or social institutions, especially such changes as are intended to level class inequalities; -- opposed to conservative. In politics they [the Independents] were to use phrase of their own time. ``Root-and-Branch men,'' or to use the kindred phrase of our own Radicals. --Macaulay. 3. (Chem.) a A characteristic, essential, and fundamental constituent of any compound; hence sometimes an atom. As a general rule the metallic atoms are basic radicals, while the nonmetallic atoms are acid radicals. --J. P. Cooke. b Specifically, a group of two or more atoms, not completely saturated, which are so linked that their union implies certain properties, and are conveniently regarded as playing the part of a single atom; a residue; -- called also a {compound radical}. Cf {Residue}. 4. (Alg.) A radical quantity. See under {Radical}, a. An indicated root of a perfect power of the degree indicated is not a radical but a rational quantity under a radical form --Davies & Peck (Math. Dict.) 5. (Anat.) A radical vessel. See under {Radical}, a. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: radical adj 1: (used of opinions and actions) far beyond the norm; "extremist political views"; "radical opinions on education"; "an ultra conservative" [syn: {extremist}, {ultra}] 2: markedly new or introducing radical change; "a revolutionary discovery"; "radical political views" [syn: {revolutionary}] 3: arising from or going to the root; "a radical flaw in the plan" [syn: {root}] 4: (linguistics) of or relating to or constituting a linguistic root; "a radical verb form" 5: (botany) especially of leaves; located at the base of a plant or stem; especially arising directly from the root or rootstock or a root-like stem; "basal placentation"; "radical leaves" [syn: {basal}] [ant: {cauline}] n 1: two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule [syn: {group}] 2: an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; "in the body free radicals are high-energy particles that ricochet wildly and damage cells" [syn: {free radical}] 3: a person who has radical ideas or opinions 4: a character conveying the lexical meaning of a logogram 5: a sign placed in front of an expression to denote that a root is to be extracted [syn: {radical sign}] 6: (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed; "thematic vowels are part of the stem" [syn: {root}, {root word}, {base}, {stem}, {theme}]
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