/ ˈfɪzɪkl; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective
THE BODY
1.
[ usually before noun ] connected with a person's body rather than their mind :
physical fitness
physical appearance
The ordeal has affected both her mental and physical health.
He tends to avoid all physical contact.
REAL THINGS
2.
[ only before noun ] connected with things that actually exist or are present and can be seen, felt, etc. rather than things that only exist in a person's mind :
the physical world / universe / environment
the physical properties (= the colour, weight, shape, etc.) of copper
NATURE / SCIENCE
3.
[ only before noun ] according to the laws of nature :
It is a physical impossibility to be in two places at once.
4.
[ only before noun ] connected with the scientific study of forces such as heat, light, sound, etc. and how they affect objects :
physical laws
SEX
5.
involving sex :
physical love
They are having a physical relationship.
PERSON
6.
( informal ) ( of a person ) liking to touch other people a lot :
She's not very physical.
VIOLENT
7.
( informal ) violent (used to avoid saying this in a direct way) :
Are you going to cooperate or do we have to get physical?
■ noun
(also ˌphysical examiˈnation ) a medical examination of a person's body, for example, to check that they are fit enough to do a particular job
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense relating to medicine ): from medieval Latin physicalis , from Latin physica things relating to nature, from Greek phusikē (epistēmē) (knowledge) of nature. Sense 2 dates from the late 16th cent. and sense 1 from the late 18th cent.