Added 8 October 2026
radical
/ˈɹædɪkəl/ adjective
Latin root: rādīcālis Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about radical at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Of or pertaining to the root of a plant.
- Of or pertaining to the root of a word.
- Produced using the root of the tongue.
noun
- A root (of a number or quantity).
- In logographic writing systems such as the Chinese writing system, the portion of a character used to index it. Often, but not always, this is also the portion indicating meaning; compare the following sense. In logographic writing systems such as the Chinese writing system, the portion of a character (if any) that provides an indication of its meaning, as opposed to being wholly phonetic.
- In logographic writing systems such as the Chinese writing system, the portion of a character (if any) that provides an indication of its meaning, as opposed to being wholly phonetic.
Origin
PIE word *wréh₂ds Inherited from Middle English radical, from Latin rādīcālis (“of or pertaining to the root, having roots, radical”). Compare grassroots.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)