Main Entry: clin·i·cal

Pronunciation: \ˈklin-i-kəl\

Function: adjective

1 : of, relating to, or conducted in or as if in a clinic: as a : involving or concerned with the direct observation and treatment of living patients <engaged in full-time clinical practice> <clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology> b : of, relating to, based on, or characterized by observable and diagnosable symptoms of disease <the clinical picture on admission was that of mild depression in an extremely rigid personality—Occupational Therapy & Rehabilitation> <three of these six foods were actually the cause of symptoms, and upon their elimination, clinical cure was effected—Journal of Pediatrics> c : applying objective or standardized methods (as interviews and personality or intelligence tests) to the description, evaluation, and modification of human behavior <clinical psychology>
2 of a sacrament : administered on a sickbed or deathbed <clinical baptism>

—clin·i·cal·ly \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb