focal

English Online Dictionary. What means focal‎? What does focal mean?

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin focālis. By surface analysis, focus +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfəʊ.kl̩/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfoʊ.kl̩/
• Rhymes: -əʊkəl

Adjective

focal (not comparable)

1. Belonging to, concerning, or located at a focus.

   Antonyms: nonfocal, widespread

2. (medicine) Limited to a small area.

   Antonyms: nonfocal, locoregional, systemic, widespread

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

focal (plural focals)

1. (geometry, obsolete) One of two lines perpendicular to the axis of a cone such that the cosine of the angle between the line and the axis is equal to the ratio of the cosines o the semiangles of the cone.
2. (Wicca) An object that is used to focus concentration when performing magic.
3. The individual who is the focus of a study or review, when the study or review is based on that individual's interactions with others.
4. A representative of a group or class of people within an organizational system.
5. A sign or similar type of marketing material designed to draw attention to special deals.
6. The central or most important element of something; a focal element.
7. A major point of interest; an attraction.
8. An exemplar of a concept.

Anagrams

• Falco

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin focālis.

Pronunciation

Adjective

focal (feminine focale, masculine plural focaux, feminine plural focales)

1. focal

Derived terms

• distance focale

Further reading

• “focal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish focul, from Proto-Celtic *woxtlom, from Proto-Indo-European *wokʷtlom, from *wekʷ-.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈfˠɞkəl̪ˠ/, /ˈfˠɔkəl̪ˠ/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈfˠɔkəlˠ/, /ˈfˠɔkəl̪ˠ/

Noun

focal m (genitive singular focail, nominative plural focail)

1. word

2. phrase, remark, observation, saying

3. intelligence, message
4. order
5. promise, assurance

Declension

• Alternative plural: focla (Cois Fharraige)

Derived terms

Mutation

References

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “focal”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin focālis. By surface analysis, foco +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: fo‧cal

Adjective

focal m or f (plural focais, not comparable)

1. (optics) focal (relating to foci)
2. (medicine) focal (limited to a small area)

Derived terms

• focalmente

Related terms

• foco

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French focal.

Adjective

focal m or n (feminine singular focală, masculine plural focali, feminine and neuter plural focale)

1. focal

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin focālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /foˈkal/ [foˈkal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: fo‧cal

Adjective

focal m or f (masculine and feminine plural focales)

1. focal

Further reading

• “focal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28