radially symmetrical
- adjective
- /ˈreɪdiˌælɪ siˈmɛtrɪkəl/
:
radialmente simétrico
- One diagram of helmets (at left) shows a simple, radially symmetrical ancestral helmet at the bottom.
- radially symmetrical flowers
Examples
-
Radially symmetrical flowers, such as buttercups and tulips, have a single type of petal arranged the same way all around a center.
Academic text (2002) -
squared of Phi for a radially symmetric distribution of mass is equal to rho.
-
What happens in plants such as buttercups, in which radially symmetrical flowers are the norm?
Academic text (2002) -
Bearing tiny, white, radially symmetrical flowers, this small member of the mustard family is the workhorse of gene research in plants.
Academic text (2002) -
Like Bashford Dean's helmets, flowers are thought to have been radially symmetrical at first.
Academic text (2002) -
This ancestral plant probably had radially symmetrical flowers, and thus, as in Arabidopsis, the cyc gene must have had a different role to play.
Academic text (2002) -
At the bottom of the chart is an ancestral, radially symmetrical helmet, like the sixth-century Ostrogoth helmet below.
Academic text (2002) -
S (COLOR): The Indian strawberry, above left, is radially symmetrical, while the periwinkle, above right, is an example of a "left-handed" flower.
Academic text (2002) -
Scientists believe that this kind of blossom probably evolved from a radially symmetrical ancestor millions of years ago, during the period when insects were becoming increasingly important pollinators.
Academic text (2002) -
The starfish has a radially symmetrical shape, with each arm extending evenly from the center.
Synonyms
4
5.9
Having lines that spread out from a central point
Parts are the same on opposite sides of a central point
An object that has the same shape all around a central line when you turn it
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'having symmetry around a central point' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'radially' (in a direction from a center) modifies 'symmetrical' (showing balanced proportions). This is a straightforward compositional adjective phrase that follows regular English morphology and cross-linguistically common logic, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The adjective radially symmetrical creates a simple picture: imagine a starfish or a flower whose arms or petals spread out from the 'center' like spokes on a wheel. Because the parts go radially, or out from the 'center', and are symmetrical, or 'the same' around that point, radially symmetrical means the shape looks the same from any direction around the center.