radical

English

Etymology

From French radical, from Late Latin radicalis (“of or pertaining to the root, having roots, radical”), from Latin radix (“root”); see radix.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: rădʹĭk-əl, IPA(key): /ˈɹædɪkəl/
  • Homophone: radicle

Adjective

radical (comparative more radical, superlative most radical)

  1. Favoring fundamental change, or change at the root cause of a matter.
    His beliefs are radical.
  2. (botany, not comparable) Pertaining to a root (of a plant).
  3. Pertaining to the basic or intrinsic nature of something.
    • Burke
      The most determined exertions of that authority, against them, only showed their radical independence.
  4. Thoroughgoing; far-reaching.
    • 2012 January 1, Donald Worster, “A Drier and Hotter Future”, in American Scientist‎, volume 100, number 1, page 70:
      Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.
    The spread of the cancer required radical surgery, and the entire organ was removed.
  5. (lexicography, not comparable) Of or pertaining to the root of a word.
  6. (phonology, phonetics, not comparable, of a sound) Produced using the root of the tongue.
  7. (chemistry, not comparable) Involving free radicals.
  8. (mathematics) Relating to a radix or mathematical root.
    a radical quantity; a radical sign
  9. (slang, 1980s & 1990s) Excellent; awesome.
    That was a radical jump!

Synonyms

  • (pertaining to the basic or intrinsic nature of something): fundamental
  • (linguistics, in reference to words): primitive

Antonyms

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Noun

radical (plural radicals)

  1. (historical: 19th-century Britain) A member of the most progressive wing of the Liberal Party; someone favouring social reform (but generally stopping short of socialism).
  2. (historical: early 20th-century France) A member of an influential, centrist political party favouring moderate social reform, a republican constitution, and secular politics.
  3. A person with radical opinions.
  4. (arithmetic) A root (of a number or quantity).
  5. (linguistics) In logographic writing systems such as the Chinese writing system, the portion of a character (if any) that provides an indication of its meaning, as opposed to phonetic.
  6. (linguistics) In Semitic languages, any one of the set of consonants (typically three) that make up a root.
  7. (chemistry) A group of atoms, joined by covalent bonds, that take part in reactions as a single unit.
  8. (organic chemistry) A free radical.
  9. (algebra, commutative algebra, ring theory, of an ideal) Given an ideal I in a commutative ring R, another ideal, denoted Rad(I) or , such that an element x ∈ R is in Rad(I) if, for some positive integer n, xn ∈ I; equivalently, the intersection of all prime ideals containing I.
  10. (algebra, ring theory, of a ring) Given a ring R, an ideal containing elements of R that share a property considered, in some sense, "not good".
  11. (algebra, ring theory, of a module) The intersection of maximal submodules of a given module.
  12. (number theory) The product of the distinct prime factors of a given positive integer.

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

References

  • radical in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • radical in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • "radical" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 251.

Further reading

Anagrams

Catalan

Pronunciation

Adjective

radical (masculine and feminine plural radicals)

  1. radical

Noun

radical m, f (plural radicals)

  1. radical

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin rādīcālis.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʁa.di.kal/
  • Audio (France, Paris)(file)
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Homophones: radicale, radicales

Adjective

radical (feminine singular radicale, masculine plural radicaux, feminine plural radicales)

  1. radical

Noun

radical m (plural radicaux)

  1. (linguistics, grammar) radical, root

Further reading

Galician

Noun

radical m (plural radicais)

  1. radical (in various senses)

Portuguese

Noun

radical m (plural radicais)

  1. (linguistic morphology) root (primary lexical unit of a word)

Synonyms

Noun

radical m, f (plural radicais)

  1. radical (person holding unorthodox views)

Synonyms

Adjective

radical m, f (plural radicais, comparable)

  1. radical (favouring fundamental change)
  2. drastic; extreme
  3. (Brazil, slang) excellent; awesome; thrilling
  4. (sports) extreme (dangerous)

Spanish

Adjective

radical (plural radicales)

  1. radical

Noun

radical m (plural radicales)

  1. radical
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