apical
adjective
api·cal ˈā-pi-kəl 
also
ˈa-pi- 1
: of, relating to, or situated at an apex
2
: of, relating to, or formed with the tip of the tongue
n, l, and r are apical consonants
apically
ˈā-pi-k(ə-)lē
adverb also ˈa-pi-
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Meanwhile, the opposite was happening in the apical dendrites: The difference in their response to unexpected stimuli increased over time. 
Quanta Magazine, 15 Nov. 2021 Our dexterous thumb and fingers, with their unique proportions and opposability, place the world at our pulpy fingertips—along with millions of microbes collected by our noteworthy nails and fleshy apical pads. Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2021 The trunk reaches up and branches into what are called apical dendrites. Quanta Magazine, 18 Feb. 2021 The key is in the separation of the signals entering the neuron for forward-going inference and for backward-flowing errors, which could be handled in the model by the basal and apical dendrites, respectively. Quanta Magazine, 18 Feb. 2021 This time of year, the pines are candled (metsumi), a process in which the apical shoots that stand up at the end of the branches like candles are snipped off to control the direction of new growth. Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 6 Aug. 2020 In early-stage embryos of both groups, a structure called the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) acts as a signaling center that guides development of the fin and limb, respectively. John A. Long, Scientific American, 20 May 2020 This condition may also be called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, apical ballooning syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy. Mayo Clinic News Network (tns), The Seattle Times, 4 Feb. 2018 Dissatisfied with that choice, Mary Beth came across another option on the internet: an apical myectomy — a surgery that had been developed at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. Tom Avril, Philly.com, 30 Jan. 2018 See More
Quanta Magazine, 15 Nov. 2021 Our dexterous thumb and fingers, with their unique proportions and opposability, place the world at our pulpy fingertips—along with millions of microbes collected by our noteworthy nails and fleshy apical pads. Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2021 The trunk reaches up and branches into what are called apical dendrites. Quanta Magazine, 18 Feb. 2021 The key is in the separation of the signals entering the neuron for forward-going inference and for backward-flowing errors, which could be handled in the model by the basal and apical dendrites, respectively. Quanta Magazine, 18 Feb. 2021 This time of year, the pines are candled (metsumi), a process in which the apical shoots that stand up at the end of the branches like candles are snipped off to control the direction of new growth. Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 6 Aug. 2020 In early-stage embryos of both groups, a structure called the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) acts as a signaling center that guides development of the fin and limb, respectively. John A. Long, Scientific American, 20 May 2020 This condition may also be called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, apical ballooning syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy. Mayo Clinic News Network (tns), The Seattle Times, 4 Feb. 2018 Dissatisfied with that choice, Mary Beth came across another option on the internet: an apical myectomy — a surgery that had been developed at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. Tom Avril, Philly.com, 30 Jan. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
probably from New Latin apicalis, from Latin apic-, apex
First Known Use
1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing apical
Medical Definition
apical
adjective
api·cal
ˈā-pi-kəl also ˈap-i-
: of, relating to, or situated at an apex
apical
adjective
as in crestal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- crestal
- meridian
- highest
- crowning
- climactic
- apocalyptic
- climacteric
- culminating
- crucial
- critical
- high
- crossover
- apogean
- apocalyptical
- watershed
- vital
- fateful
- epochal
- pivotal
- momentous
- cataclysmal
- life-and-death
- life-or-death
- decisive
- cataclysmic
- payoff
- deciding
- earthshaking
- go-no-go
- make-or-break
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- anticlimactical
- noncritical
- unimportant
- anticlimactic
- insignificant
- trivial
- inconsequential
- indecisive