Skip to main content
radical

radical

4 7.7
Relating to the basic form of a word
  • adjective
  • /ˈrædɪkəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : radical
  • In linguistics, the radical of the word 'unhappiness' is 'happy.'

Examples

  • The radical form of the verb 'running' is 'run.'

  • Expect to see new products and radical changes in old ones.

    Academic text (2005)
  • What is at stake in these apparently minor philosophical differences between cognitivism and radical interpretation?

    Academic text (2001)
  • Irigaray's utopian linguistic structures identify the need for a radical approach to subject positions in terms of gender politics.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Encountering the Aleph, in part, is visually to encounter a radical form of complete (thus inconceivable) knowledge.

    Academic text (2001)
  • The recurrence was treated with radical surgical excision and radiation therapy, and the patient remained disease-free at 5 years of follow-up.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Our results suggest that surgeons should approach radical prostatectomy with care to avoid seeding from the prostate gland.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Understanding the radical roots of words can help improve vocabulary.

Compounds

free radical
  • Specialized
8 5.1

A small unstable atom or molecule that can damage body cells by reacting with them

radical mastectomy
  • Specialized
3 6.1

Surgery that removes a breast, chest muscles, and lymph nodes under the armpit to treat breast cancer

radical hysterectomy
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Surgery that removes the womb, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and nearby lymph nodes to treat cancer

1 6.8

A surgery that removes a breast with nearby chest muscle and some armpit lymph nodes

radical chic
  • Offensive
1 9.7

A style where rich people show left-wing views to seem socially aware

benzoyl radical
  • Specialized
9.9

A reactive group that forms when benzoic acid loses its OH group

benzyl radical
  • Specialized
8.7

A small chemical group formed when toluene loses one hydrogen atom from its methyl part

cacodyl radical
  • Specialized
9.9

A small chemical group containing arsenic and two methyl parts

cyanide radical
  • Specialized
8.4

A small chemical group made of one carbon and one nitrogen atom written as -CN

cyano radical
  • Specialized
9.3

A small chemical group made of one carbon and one nitrogen atom that attaches to other molecules, written as −CN

acetyl radical
  • Specialized
7.9

A small group of atoms from acetic acid that can attach to other molecules

alcohol radical
  • Specialized
7.2

A group of atoms written as –OH that makes a molecule an alcohol

aldehyde radical
  • Specialized
7.9

A carbon atom double-bonded to oxygen and single-bonded to hydrogen

alkyl radical
  • Specialized
7.3

A group of carbon and hydrogen atoms that attaches to a molecule with one free bond

allyl radical
  • Specialized
9.6

A small, reactive part of a molecule with three carbon atoms and one unpaired electron

azo radical
  • Specialized
9.9

A chemical group with two nitrogen atoms that links two carbon chains and gives bright colours to dyes

azido radical
  • Specialized
9.9

A small chemical group made of three nitrogen atoms that carries a negative charge

ethanoyl radical
  • Specialized
9.9

A part of a molecule used in chemistry, formed from the acid in vinegar, written CH3CO

ethyl radical
  • Specialized
7.5

A small reactive group of two carbon and five hydrogen atoms that forms when ethane loses one hydrogen atom

methylene radical
  • Specialized
9.0

A very reactive group of one carbon and two hydrogen atoms that exists briefly in chemical reactions

methyl radical
  • Specialized
7.0

A very active group of one carbon and three hydrogen atoms with formula CH3, formed when methane loses one hydrogen

hydroxyl radical
  • Specialized
8.0

A small chemical part made of one oxygen and one hydrogen atom that reacts quickly

hydrazo radical
  • Specialized
9.9

A small chemical group made of two nitrogen atoms and hydrogen that can attach to a molecule at two places

propyl radical
  • Specialized
8.2

A small reactive part of a molecule made from propane when it loses one hydrogen

radical sign
  • Specialized
5.3

A symbol √ that shows the square root of a number

9.6

A small secret group of people who plan or use political violence

uranyl radical
  • Specialized
9.9

A charged particle made of uranium and oxygen that forms salts with acids

vinyl radical
  • Specialized
8.8

A small chemical group with formula CH2=CH− that reacts easily in making plastics

Surface Forms

radical positive

Morphology

radical = radic + al

Formed from the combining form 'radic-' + the adjectival suffix '-al'; because 'radic' is not a standalone English base, the relation to a familiar base is not obvious to an average learner.

Etymology

Radical comes from the Latin radix, meaning 'root'. In linguistics, calling something radical means it relates to the 'root' part of a word or verb.