orthodromal
|or-tho-dro-mal|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔrθəˈdroʊməl/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːθəˈdrɒməl/
follow a straight/course path
Etymology
'orthodromal' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'orthodromos', where 'orthos' meant 'straight' and 'dromos' meant 'running' or 'course'.
'orthodromal' changed from Neo-Latin/Modern-Latin formations such as 'orthodromus'/'orthodromicus' (and the adjective 'orthodromic') used in scientific and navigational writing, and eventually became the modern English adjective 'orthodromal' in technical contexts (19th–20th century).
Initially it conveyed the sense 'running straight' (from the Greek components), but over time it evolved into the technical senses 'following a great-circle route' in navigation and 'conducted in the normal direction' in physiology.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
following or relating to an orthodrome (a great-circle route on the globe); taking the shortest path between two points on a sphere.
The navigator planned an orthodromal course to minimize flight distance.
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Adjective 2
(Medicine/physiology) Proceeding or conducted in the normal (forward) direction along a pathway; not antidromic.
The impulse traveled orthodromally along the conduction pathway, producing the expected response.
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Last updated: 2025/10/25 19:17