Omnidirectional

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɒmˈnɪdɪˈɹɛk.ʃə.nəl/

Definitions

1. Characterizing a system that can send or receive information from every possible angle
2. Referring to a type of technology that functions effectively without regard to the orientation of the device
3. Able to emit or capture signals uniformly around a 360-degree range without favoring any side

Etymology: "Omnidirectional" is a plain compound built in English from two parts. The first, "omni-", comes from Latin "omnis", meaning "all" or "every", which traces back through Proto-Italic to an ancient Indo-European root. The second, "directional", is an English adjective formed from "direction" plus the suffix "-al", a suffix that reached English through Old French from Latin "-ālis". Put together, the word means "in all directions." Its usefulness lies in describing devices, such as microphones or antennas, that pick up or send signals from every side equally rather than from one favoured direction. The prefix supplies the sense of totality, and the rest of the word supplies the sense of orientation, so the combined term reads almost like a set of instructions: direction, everywhere.

Synonyms: multi-directional, all-directional

Antonyms: unidirectional