Trochal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Resembling or relating to a wheel in shape or function
2. Of or pertaining to circular or rotatory motion or structure
3. Having the character or form of a wheel or rotating mechanism

Etymology: "Trochal" is an adjective meaning shaped like a wheel or wheel-shaped, and it descends from the Ancient Greek "trokhos," meaning a wheel. The Greek noun comes from the verb "trekhein," to run, so the wheel was named for its running or rolling. English scientists took the Greek root and turned it into a descriptive term for things resembling a wheel in form. The word is a technical coinage built from that Greek base with the adjectival ending "-al," which is why it sounds more like a term from anatomy or zoology than from everyday speech. Its use is confined to specialist description, where a wheel-like outline or structure needs naming.