Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In phytogeography, in or relating to œcological zones or belts. See zonc, 8.
  • Having the character of a zone or belt.
  • Of or pertaining to the rings, somites, or body-segments of an articulate or annulose animal; arthromeric; metameric: as, zonal symmetry, the serial homology or metameric symmetry of a segmented animal, as an arthropod or an annelid. See symmetry, 5 .
  • In crystallography, arranged in zones: as, the zonal structure of a mineral.
  • In botany, noting that view of a diatom in which the zone or suture of the valves is presented to the eye—the “front view” of some writers.
  • In horticulture, marked on the leaves with a zone or circle, as many pelargoniums, also called horscshoe geraniums.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to a zone; having the form of a zone or zones.
  • adjective (Crystallog.) the mathematical relation which belongs to all the planes of a zone, and expresses their common position with reference to the axes.
  • adjective (Crystallog.) a structure characterized by the arrangements of color, inclusions, etc., of a crystal in parallel or concentric layers, which usually follow the outline of the crystal, and mark the changes that have taken place during its growth.
  • adjective (Biol.) See the Note under Symmetry.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Divided into zones.
  • adjective Related to, associated with, or similar to zones.
  • adjective Roughly longitudinal movement of air or ocean currents (east to west, or west to east).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective associated with or divided into zones
  • adjective relating to or of the nature of a zone

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Originated 1865–70 from zone + -al.

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Examples

  • What are known as zonal geraniums are the species Pelargonium zonale, which originates in the mild Cape region of South Africa.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • These storms are a function of the temperature difference across the boundary between the cool polar air and warm subtropical air often referred to as the zonal index.

    The Coming Katrina Anniversary « Climate Audit 2006

  • Rejects the idea of zonal mutual recognition of products.

    EurActiv.com 2008

  • This kind of zonal flow in the outer core has not been seen in geodynamo models before, due largely to lack of sufficient resolution in earlier models.

    Does Zonal Swishing Play a Part in Earth's Magnetic Field Reversals? | Universe Today 2010

  • Typical communities for a particular latitude are called "zonal", but local variation at the landscape level occurs and these "intrazonal communities" are frequently associated with variations in soil moisture and snow accumulation [4].

    Effects of changes in climate and UV radiation levels on structure of arctic ecosystems in the short and long term 2009

  • He saw the low, sweet-scented geraniums of lemon, rose and nutmeg odors, persisting through the winter unblighted, and the round-leaved, "zonal" sorts surprisingly large of growth -- in one case, on a division fence, trained to the width and height of six feet.

    The Amateur Garden George Washington Cable 1884

  • Kageyama told physicsworld. com that this kind of zonal flow has never been included in geodynamo models to date and that it could provide a "hint" about the mechanism of polar reversal.

    physicsworld.com: all content 2010

  • Kageyama told physicsworld. com that this kind of zonal flow has never been included in geodynamo models to date and that it could provide a "hint" about the mechanism of polar reversal.

    physicsworld.com: all content 2010

  • During the past week, the pattern has become "zonal", which is characterized by a relatively straight flow of air from west to east across the nation.

    The Daily News - News 2010

  • Kageyama told physicsworld. com that this kind of zonal flow has never been included in geodynamo models to date and that it could provide a "hint" about the mechanism of polar reversal.

    physicsworld.com: all content 2010

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