areal

adjective

ar·​e·​al ˈer-ē-əl How to pronounce areal (audio)
ˈā-rē-əl
: of, relating to, or involving an area
The figure of merit for a disk technology is its areal density: the number of data bits reliably stored per unit area of the magnetic surface.Stuart S. P. Parkin
… there is a need to develop a methodology to define neighborhood in terms of comparable areal units as a health analytic.Wayne Gearey
areally
ˈer-ē-ə-lē How to pronounce areal (audio)
ˈā-rē-ə-
adverb
It gave analytical significance to material culture traits, described and classified areally, by permitting their correlation with identifiable cultures. Michael Solot

Examples of areal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Marco Di Marco, AP An areal view of the lava field with inactive southern fissure next to the town of Grindavik, Iceland, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Di'amond Moore, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024 The figure below shows the most recent HDD technology roadmap from the Advanced Storage Research Consortium (ASRC), an HDD industry consortium that provides projections on storage density growth (areal density is the average amount of information stored per area on the HDD disks). Tom Coughlin, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'areal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of areal was in 1676

Dictionary Entries Near areal

Cite this Entry

“Areal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/areal. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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