radius — ODE · Shobdo

radius /ˈreɪdiəs

▸ noun

(plural radii /ˈreɪdiʌɪ

(plural or radiuses)

1 a straight line from the centre to the circumference of a circle or sphere.

▪ a radial line from the focus to any point of a curve.

▪ the length of the radius of a circle or sphere.

▪ a specified distance from a centre in all directions:

there are plenty of local pubs within a two-mile radius.

2 Anatomy the thicker and shorter of the two bones in the human forearm. Compare with ulna

▪ Zoology the bone in a vertebrate's foreleg or a bird's wing that corresponds to the radius in a human being.

▪ Entomology any of the main veins in an insect's wing.

3 Zoology a radially symmetric feature in an echinoderm or coelenterate, e.g. an arm of a starfish.

▸ verb

( radiuses, radiusing, radiused)

[with object] give a rounded form to (a corner or edge):

Brian carefully radiused all the sharp edges and corners

(radiused as adjective) the radiused edges feel sleek and unobtrusive in the hand.

– ORIGIN late 16th century (in radius (sense 2 of the noun)): from Latin, literally ‘staff, spoke, ray’.