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cen·trif·u·gal (sĕn-trĭfyə-gəl, -trĭfə-)
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adj.
1. Moving or directed away from a center or axis.
2. Operated by means of centrifugal force.
3. Physiology Transmitting nerve impulses away from the central nervous system; efferent.
4. Botany Developing or progressing outward from a center or axis, as in a flower cluster in which the oldest flowers are in the center and the youngest flowers are near the edge.
5. Tending or directed away from centralization, as of authority: "In a feverish explosion of centrifugal nationalism, one after another of the empire's ethnic groups proclaimed independence" (Adam Hochschild).
[From New Latin centrifugus : Latin centrum, center; see CENTER + Latin fugere, to flee.]
cen·trifu·gal·ism n.
cen·trifu·gal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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