/
ˈreɪdɪəs/
n.
(pl. radii
/-dɪʌɪ/
or radiuses)
- a straight line from the centre to the circumference of a circle or sphere.
▸a radial line from the focus to any point of a curve.
- a specified distance from a centre in all directions:
there are plenty of pubs within a two-mile radius.
- Anatomy & Zoology a bone of the forearm or forelimb, in humans the thicker and shorter of two.
- Zoology a radially symmetric feature in an echinoderm or coelenterate, e.g. an arm of a starfish.
- Entomology a main vein in an insect's wing.
v.
(radiuses, radiusing, radiused)
[
often as adj. radiused]
make (a corner or edge) rounded.
Etymology
C16: from L., lit. ‘staff, spoke, ray’.