Adjacent Words

Physical definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PHYS'ICAL, a. Pertaining to nature or natural productions, or to material things, as opposed to things moral or imaginary. We speak of physical force or power, with reference to material things; as, muscular strength is physical force; armies and navies are the physical force of a nation; whereas wisdom, knowledge, skill, etc. constitute moral force. A physical point is a real point, in distinction from a mathematical or imaginary point. A physical body or substance is a material body or substance,in distinction from spirit or metaphysical substance.
1. External; perceptible to the senses; as the physical characters of a mineral; opposed to chimical.
2. Relating to the art of healing; as a physical treatise.
3. Having the property of evacuating the bowels; as physical herbs.
4. Medicinal; promoting the cure of diseases.
5. Resembling physic; as a physical taste.
[In the three latter senses, nearly obsolete among professional men.]
Physical education, the education which is directed to the object of giving strength, health and vigor to the bodily organs and powers.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit; "physical exercise"; "physical suffering"; "was sloppy about everything but her physical appearance" [ant: mental]
2: relating to the sciences dealing with matter and energy; especially physics; "physical sciences"; "physical laws"
3: having substance or material existence; perceptible to the senses; "a physical manifestation"; "surrounded by tangible objects"
4: according with material things or natural laws (other than those peculiar to living matter); "a reflex response to physical stimuli"
5: characterized by energetic bodily activity; "a very physical dance performance"
6: impelled by physical force especially against resistance; "forcible entry"; "a real cop would get physical"; "strong- arm tactics" [syn: forcible, physical, strong-arm]
7: concerned with material things; "physical properties"; "the physical characteristics of the earth"; "the physical size of a computer"

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English phisicale medical, from Medieval Latin physicalis, from Latin physica Date: 1580 1. a. of or relating to natural science b. (1) of or relating to physics (2) characterized or produced by the forces and operations of physics 2. a. having material existence ; perceptible especially through the senses and subject to the laws of nature <everything physical is measurable by weight, motion, and resistance — Thomas De Quincey> b. of or relating to material things <labor, in the physical world, is…employed in putting objects in motion — J. S. Mill> 3. a. of or relating to the body <physical abuse> b. (1) concerned or preoccupied with the body and its needs ; carnal <physical appetites> (2) sexual <a physical love affair> <physical attraction> c. characterized by especially rugged and forceful physical activity ; rough <a physical hockey game> <a physical player> Synonyms: see material • physically adverb • physicalness noun II. noun Date: 1934 physical examination

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 of or concerning the body (physical exercise; physical education). 2 of matter; material (both mental and physical force). 3 a of, or according to, the laws of nature (a physical impossibility). b belonging to physics (physical science). --n. (in full physical examination) a medical examination to determine physical fitness. Phrases and idioms: physical chemistry the application of physics to the study of chemical behaviour. physical geography geography dealing with natural features. physical jerks colloq. physical exercises. physical science the sciences used in the study of inanimate natural objects, e.g. physics, chemistry, astronomy, etc. physical training exercises promoting bodily fitness and strength. Derivatives: physicality n. physically adv. physicalness n. Etymology: ME f. med.L physicalis f. L physica (as PHYSIC)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Physical Phys"ic*al, a. 1. 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; as, armies and navies are the physical force of a nation; the body is the physical part of man. Labor, in the physical world, is . . . employed in putting objects in motion. --J. S. Mill. A society sunk in ignorance, and ruled by mere physical force. --Macaulay. 2. Of or pertaining to physics, or natural philosophy; treating of, or relating to, the causes and connections of natural phenomena; as, physical science; physical laws. ``Physical philosophy.'' --Pope. 3. Perceptible through a bodily or material organization; cognizable by the senses; external; as, the physical, opposed to chemical, characters of a mineral. 4. Of or pertaining to physic, or the art of medicine; medicinal; curative; healing; also, cathartic; purgative. [Obs.] ``Physical herbs.'' --Sir T. North. Is Brutus sick? and is it physical To walk unbraced, and suck up the humors Of the dank morning? --Shak. Physical astronomy, that part of astronomy which treats of the causes of the celestial motions; specifically, that which treats of the motions resulting from universal gravitation. Physical education, training of the bodily organs and powers with a view to the promotion of health and vigor. Physical examination (Med.), an examination of the bodily condition of a person. Physical geography. See under Geography. Physical point, 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. Physical signs (Med.), the objective signs of the bodily state afforded by a physical examination.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(physicals) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Physical qualities, actions, or things are connected with a person's body, rather than with their mind. ...the physical and mental problems caused by the illness... The attraction between them is physical. ADJ: usu ADJ n • physically You may be physically and mentally exhausted after a long flight. ...disabled people who cannot physically use a telephone. ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v 2. Physical things are real things that can be touched and seen, rather than ideas or spoken words. Physical and ideological barriers had come down in Eastern Europe. ...physical evidence to support the story. ADJ: usu ADJ n • physically ...physically cut off from every other country. ADV 3. Physical means relating to the structure, size, or shape of something that can be touched and seen. ...the physical characteristics of the terrain. ADJ: ADJ n 4. Physical means connected with physics or the laws of physics. ...the physical laws of combustion and thermodynamics. ADJ: ADJ n 5. Someone who is physical touches people a lot, either in an affectionate way or in a rough way. We decided that in the game we would be physical and aggressive. ADJ 6. Physical is used in expressions such as physical love and physical relationships to refer to sexual relationships between people. It had been years since they had shared any meaningful form of physical relationship. ADJ: ADJ n 7. A physical is a medical examination, done in order to see if someone is fit and well enough to do a particular job or to join the army. Bob failed his physical... = medical N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Material, natural. 2. Pertaining to physics or natural philosophy, natural. 3. External, corporeal, bodily, sensible, tangible, substantial.

Moby Thesaurus

Adamic, Circean, actual, aerophysical, animal, animalistic, astrophysical, atavistic, beastlike, beastly, bestial, bodily, born, brutal, brute, brutish, carnal, carnal-minded, check, checkup, coarse, coeval, concrete, congenital, connatal, connate, connatural, constitutional, corporal, corporeal, earthly, earthy, elemental, elementary, fallen, fleshly, genetic, gross, hereditary, hylic, in the blood, inborn, inbred, incarnate, indigenous, inherited, innate, instinctive, instinctual, lapsed, lusty, manifest, material, materialistic, materiate, mortal, native, native to, natural, natural to, nonspiritual, objective, organic, orgiastic, palpable, phenomenal, physical examination, postlapsarian, primal, real, secular, sensible, solid, somatic, spot check, substantial, swinish, tangible, temperamental, temporal, true, unspiritual, visceral, worldly