poloidal

P3O1L1O1I1D2A1L1

adjective

Of, pertaining to, or shaped like a poloid.

UncommonScrabble 11

Meanings

adjectivepoloidal (comparative more poloidal, superlative most poloidal)

comparative more poloidal · superlative most poloidal

  1. Of, pertaining to, or shaped like a poloid.

    Two different pathways, called poloids, are obtained depending on whether A is considered as the fixed frame, or whether B is considered as the fixed frame. The two poloidal curves roll on each other, […]

    2013, Gary T. Yamaguchi, Dynamic Modeling of Musculoskeletal Motion, page 150
  2. natural sciencesBetween the poles of a magnet.

    A poloidal magnetic field has closed field lines that begin and end on fictitious “poles," as in the case of a bar magnet or William Gilbert's lodestone.

    2023, William Lowrie, The Earth's Magnetic Field, page 47
  3. Having a direction on a torus perpendicular to a line that traces around the outside of a torus, or on a sphere perpendicular to the equator, going through both poles.

    While the slope of the toroidal velocity distribution at the outer surface is generally in good agreement with the observed surface value, poloidal velocity consistently shows reduced energy at low harmonics .

    2012, Ren Wang, Keiiti Aki, Mechanics Problems in Geodynamics Part I, page 497
    1 more example

    The magnetic field can be written as the sum of a poloidal field and a toroidal field, and many of the concepts of dynamo theory revolve around the question of how to generate a toroidal field from a poloidal field and, conversely, how to generate a poloidal field from a toroidal field.

    1999, Michael W. McElhinny, Phillip L. McFadden, Paleomagnetism: Continents and Oceans, page 11

Origin

  1. Englishpoloid
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  4. Englishpoloidal

From poloid + -al.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan poloidal
  • poloidalTranslations
Finnish poloidinen, poloidaalinen
  • poloidinenTranslations
  • poloidaalinenTranslations
French poloïdal
  • poloïdalTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

poloidal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poloidal

MLA

“poloidal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poloidal. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “poloidal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poloidal.

Source: poloidal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.