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radial symmetry
noun
: the condition of having similar parts regularly arranged around a central axis
radially symmetrical
adjective
Examples of radial symmetry in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
No other fossils from the Ediacara period have shown this type of organization so definitively, with most showing a simple radial symmetry (like modern jellyfish).
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David Bressan, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
This new June 1 image is from almost directly over the volcano, showing the radial symmetry of the volcano formed by lava and debris flows cascading down the slopes of the volcano.
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Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 3 June 2010
But starfish—as well as sand dollars and sea anemones—have radial symmetry, with identical segments of their body radiating out from a central point.
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Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2023
In particular, starfish, also called sea stars, have fivefold radial symmetry, so the animal can be divided into five identical segments.
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Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2023
The end result, constructed at Harvard, resembled the nave of a cathedral built by aliens to worship radial symmetry, or an iron maiden for punishing giant cubes.
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Caity Weaver, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2022
At the Rubenstein Arts Center on Duke University’s campus, an image from a microscope makes an alien landscape out of the knobby, radial symmetry of a sea urchin skeleton.
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Marissa Fessenden, Smithsonian, 12 July 2018
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Word History
First Known Use
1872, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near radial symmetry
Cite this Entry
“Radial symmetry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radial%20symmetry. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
radial symmetry
noun
: plant and animal symmetry in which similar parts are arranged in a balanced way around the center of the body compare bilateral symmetry
Medical Definition
radial symmetry
noun
: the condition of having similar parts regularly arranged around a central axis
radially symmetrical
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on radial symmetry
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about radial symmetry
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