physical
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈfɪz.ɪ.kl̩/
Forms: form: more physical
form: most physical
form: physickal
Etymology: Borrowed from Late Latin physicālis, from Latin physica (“study of nature”), from Ancient Greek φυσική (phusikḗ), feminine singular of φυσικός (phusikós, “natural; physical”), from φύσις (phúsis, “origin, birth; nature, quality; form, shape; type, kind”), from φῠ́ω (phŭ́ō, “grow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to appear, become, rise up”).
Senses: glosses: Of medicine.
Pertaining to the field of medicine; medical.
examples: text: Her father was thrown from his horse, when his blood was in a very inflammatory state, and the bruises were very dangerous; his recovery was not expected by the physical tribe.
ref: 1788, Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary: A Fiction:
glosses: Of medicine.
That practises medicine; pertaining to doctors, physicianly.
examples: text: Phisicall [translating φαρμακώδεις (pharmakṓdeis)] herbes, as Helleborum, Lingewort, or Beares foote.
ref: 1579, Thomas North, translating Pliny, Parallel Lives
text: Is Brutus sick? and is it physical / To walk unbraced, and suck up the humours / Of the dank morning?
ref: 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
glosses: Of medicine.
Medicinal; good for the health, curative, therapeutic.
examples: text: Labour, then, in the physical world, is […] employed in putting objects in motion.
ref: 1848, John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy: With Some of Their Applications to Social Philosophy. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], →OCLC:
text: In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result.
ref: 2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8837, page 74:
text: It's not so much a physical place as a state of mind.
glosses: Of matter and nature.
Pertaining to the world as understood through the senses rather than the mind; tangible, concrete; real. Having to do with the material world.
examples: text: The substance has a number of interesting physical properties.
text: Some of the most beautiful and thus appealing physical theories, including quantum electrodynamics and quantum gravity, have been dogged for decades by infinities that erupt when theorists try to prod their calculations into new domains.
ref: 2012 January 24, Michael Riordan, “Tackling Infinity”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 30 Apr 2013, page 86:
glosses: Of matter and nature.
In accordance with the laws of nature; now specifically, pertaining to physics.
glosses: Of matter and nature.
Denoting a map showing natural features of the landscape (compare political).
examples: text: Are you feeling any physical effects?
text: A society sunk in ignorance, and ruled by mere physical force.
ref: 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter I, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
text: In mild cases of hypergonadism prior to puberty, the onset of physical and mood changes may not be abnormally early or significant enough to cause any psychological or long-term physical complications.
ref: 2018 June 25, James Roland, “What is Hypergonadism?”, in Healthline:
glosses: Of the human body.
Having to do with the body as opposed to the mind; corporeal, bodily.
examples: text: to get physical
glosses: Of the human body.
Sexual, carnal.
examples: text: This team plays a very physical game, so watch out.
glosses: Of the human body.
Involving bodily force or contact; vigorous, aggressive.
Derived terms: aerophysical
agrophysical
antiphysical
astrophysical
barophysical
biophysical
cataphysical
chemicophysical
chemophysical
cyberphysical
ecophysical
electrophysical
ethicophysical
extraphysical
geophysical
get physical
hydrophysical
hyperphysical
iatrophysical
macrophysical
mechanophysical
microphysical
neurophysical
nonphysical
pamphysical
paraphysical
petrophysical
photophysical
phygital
physical anthropology
physical body
physical break
physical change
physical chemistry
physical comedy
physical constant
physical culture
physical diagnosis
physical distancing
physical education
physical exam
physical examination
physical finger
physical geographer
physical geography
physicalism
physicalist
physicalization
physicalize
physical law
physical love
physical map
physical mediumship
physicalness
physical person
physical plant
physical quantity
physical relations
physical science
physical state
physical system
physical theatre
physical therapist
physical therapy
physical training
physical twin
physical unclonable function
physical world
physisorption
protophysical
psychophysical
radiophysical
robophysical
selenophysical
sociophysical
stereophysical
subphysical
superphysical
supraphysical
thermophysical
tribophysical
ultraphysical
unphysical
zoophysical
Related terms: metaphysical
physicality
physically
physician
physics