Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of or relating to the body. synonym: bodily.
- adjective Having a physiological basis or origin.
- adjective Involving sexual interest or activity.
- adjective Involving or characterized by vigorous or forceful bodily activity.
- adjective Slang Involving or characterized by violence.
- adjective Of or relating to material things.
- adjective Of or relating to matter and energy or the sciences dealing with them, especially physics.
- noun A physical examination.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Pertaining to physics or natural philosophy: as, physical science;, physical law.
- Of or pertaining to material nature; in accordance with the laws of nature; relating to what is material and perceived by the senses; specifically, pertaining to the material part or structure of an organized being, as opposed to what is mental or moral; material; bodily: as, physical force; physical strength.
- External; obvious to the senses; cognizable through a bodily or material organization: as, the physical characters of a mineral: opposed to chemical. See
mechanical - Of or pertaining to physic, or the art of curing disease or preserving health, or one who professes or practises this art; of or pertaining to a physician.
- In need of physic or of a physician; sick; ill.
- Of or pertaining to the drugs or medicines used in the healing art; of use in curing disease or in preserving health; medicinal; remedial.
- Purgative; cathartic.
- Synonyms Corporal, Corporeal, etc. See
bodily . - Chemical, etc. See
mechanical .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to nature (as including all created existences); in accordance with the laws of nature; also, of or relating to natural or material things, or to the bodily structure, as opposed to things mental, moral, spiritual, or imaginary; material; natural
- adjective Of or pertaining to physics, or natural philosophy; treating of, or relating to, the causes and connections of natural phenomena
- adjective Perceptible through a bodily or material organization; cognizable by the senses; external.
- adjective obsolete Of or pertaining to physic, or the art of medicine; medicinal; curative; healing; also, cathartic; purgative.
- adjective that part of astronomy which treats of the causes of the celestial motions; specifically, that which treats of the motions resulting from universal gravitation.
- adjective training of the bodily organs and powers with a view to the promotion of health and vigor.
- adjective (Med.) an examination of the bodily condition of a person.
- adjective See under
Geography . - adjective an indefinitely small portion of matter; a point conceived as being without extension, yet having physical properties, as weight, inertia, momentum, etc.; a material point.
- adjective (Med.) the objective signs of the bodily state afforded by a physical examination.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Having to do with the body.
- adjective Having to do with the
material world. - adjective Involving bodily
force . - adjective Having to do with physics.
- noun Physical examination.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective according with material things or natural laws (other than those peculiar to living matter)
- adjective characterized by energetic bodily activity
- adjective concerned with material things
- adjective relating to the sciences dealing with matter and energy; especially physics
- adjective having substance or material existence; perceptible to the senses
- adjective involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
- adjective impelled by physical force especially against resistance
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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The physical instrument of his mind (his brain), and also certain associated sets of muscles, must be sufficiently exercised in the _action_ of courage to build up within him the _physical structure_ of fearlessness that will be instantly responsive to a _mental attitude_ of bravery.
Certain Success Norval A. Hawkins
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In the following cases: physical defect in the married parties, desertion without communication for five years, he said, crooking a short finger covered with hair, adultery (this word he pronounced with obvious satisfaction), subdivided as follows (he continued to crook his fat fingers, though the three cases and their subdivisions could obviously not be classified together): physical defect of the husband or of the wife, adultery of the husband or of the wife.
Chapter V. Part IV 1917
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A third difficulty is this: The bird-metaphor is physical, but we see on reflection that in the _physical_ world there is no real compounding.
A Pluralistic Universe Hibbert Lectures at Manchester College on the Present Situation in Philosophy William James 1876
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For when morals are described as a mere physical science, founded on man's organization, his interests and passions, -- when the treatise, according to its _second_ title, is professedly an attempt to expound the _physical principles of morals_, -- and when, in pursuance of this plan, all the principles of
Modern Atheism under its forms of Pantheism, Materialism, Secularism, Development, and Natural Laws James Buchanan 1837
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Unless, therefore, a thing can exhibit properties which do not belong to it, the very admission that living matter exhibits physical properties, includes the further admission, that those _physical_ or dead properties are themselves vital in essence, really _distinct_ but in appearance only _different_; or in absolute contrast with each other.
Hints towards the formation of a more comprehensive theory of life. Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1803
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The term physical anthropology is used in both parts of the world.
thinking with my fingers Torill 2002
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Nature, or that part of nature which we term physical environment, enters into and becomes part of the life of the savage in a way and to an extent that we can hardly conceive.
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Praxis 3 does not even use the term physical obsolescence.
unknown title 2009
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Praxis 3 does not even use the term physical obsolescence.
unknown title 2009
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Dr. William Tiller, a Professor Emeritus of materials science at Stanford, believes that human consciousness can change what we call physical reality.
Lee Schneider: Seeing is Believing and Believing is Seeing 2009
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