n.
Pronunciation: ' fi-zi-k ə l
Function: 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
– phys · i · cal · ly \ -k( ə -)l ē \ adverb
– phys · i · cal · ness \ -k ə l-n ə s \ noun