Physical

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Physical \Phys"ic*al\ (f[i^]z"[i^]*kal), a.
     1. Of or pertaining to nature (as including all created
        existences); in accordance with the laws of nature; also,
        of or relating to natural or material things, or to the
        bodily structure, as opposed to things mental, moral,
        spiritual, or imaginary; material; natural; as, armies and


        navies are the physical force of a nation; the body is the
        physical part of man.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Labor, in the physical world, is . . . employed in
              putting objects in motion.            --J. S. Mill.
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              A society sunk in ignorance, and ruled by mere
              physical force.                       --Macaulay.
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     2. Of or pertaining to physics, or natural philosophy;
        treating of, or relating to, the causes and connections of
        natural phenomena; as, physical science; physical laws.
        "Physical philosophy." --Pope.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Perceptible through a bodily or material organization;
        cognizable by the senses; external; as, the physical,
        opposed to chemical, characters of a mineral.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. Of or pertaining to physic, or the art of medicine;
        medicinal; curative; healing; also, cathartic; purgative.
        [Obs.] "Physical herbs." --Sir T. North.
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              Is Brutus sick? and is it physical
              To walk unbraced, and suck up the humors
              Of the dank morning?                  --Shak.
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     {Physical astronomy}, that part of astronomy which treats of
        the causes of the celestial motions; specifically, that
        which treats of the motions resulting from universal
        gravitation.
  
     {Physical education}, training of the bodily organs and
        powers with a view to the promotion of health and vigor.
        
  
     {Physical examination} (Med.), an examination of the bodily
        condition of a person.
  
     {Physical geography}. See under {Geography}.
  
     {Physical point}, an indefinitely small portion of matter; a
        point conceived as being without extension, yet having
        physical properties, as weight, inertia, momentum, etc.; a
        material point.
  
     {Physical signs} (Med.), the objective signs of the bodily
        state afforded by a physical examination.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  physical
       adj 1: involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit;
              "physical exercise"; "physical suffering"; "was sloppy
              about everything but her physical appearance" [ant: {mental}]
       2: relating to the sciences dealing with matter and energy;
          especially physics; "physical sciences"; "physical laws"
       3: having substance or material existence; perceptible to the
          senses; "a physical manifestation"; "surrounded by
          tangible objects" [syn: {tangible}, {touchable}]
       4: according with material things or natural laws (other than
          those peculiar to living matter); "a reflex response to
          physical stimuli"
       5: characterized by energetic bodily activity; "tennis is an
          active sport"; "a very physical dance performance" [syn: {active}]
       6: concerned with material things; "physical properties"; "the
          physical characteristics of the earth"; "the physical size
          of a computer"
       7: impelled by physical force especially against resistance;
          "forcible entry"; "a real cop would get physical";
          "strong-arm tactics" [syn: {forcible}, {strong-arm}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  84 Moby Thesaurus words for "physical":
     Adamic, Circean, actual, aerophysical, animal, animalistic,
     astrophysical, atavistic, beastlike, beastly, bestial, bodily,
     born, brutal, brute, brutish, carnal, carnal-minded, check,
     checkup, coarse, coeval, concrete, congenital, connatal, connate,
     connatural, constitutional, corporal, corporeal, earthly, earthy,
     elemental, elementary, fallen, fleshly, genetic, gross, hereditary,
     hylic, in the blood, inborn, inbred, incarnate, indigenous,
     inherited, innate, instinctive, instinctual, lapsed, lusty,
     manifest, material, materialistic, materiate, mortal, native,
     native to, natural, natural to, nonspiritual, objective, organic,
     orgiastic, palpable, phenomenal, physical examination,
     postlapsarian, primal, real, secular, sensible, solid, somatic,
     spot check, substantial, swinish, tangible, temperamental,
     temporal, true, unspiritual, visceral, worldly
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  physical
       
           The opposite of {logical} in its jargon sense.
          Compare {real}, {virtual}, and {transparent}.
       
          It is said that what you can touch and see is real; what you
          can see but not touch is virtual; what you can touch but not
          see is transparent; and what you can neither touch nor see is
          probably imaginary.
       
          (2001-10-26)