nodal

US: (nōd′l)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

nod•al  (nōd′l), adj. 

1. pertaining to or of the nature of a node.

• node + -al¹ 1825–35

no•dal′i•ty, n. 

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

node /noʊd/   n. [countable]

1. a knot or knob of something that sticks up or out.
2. a centering point of parts, lines, etc., that come together.
3. Anatomy a knotlike mass of tissue:
   a lymph node.
4. Botany a part of a stem from which a leaf or branch grows.

nod•al, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

node  (nōd), n. 

1. a knot, protuberance, or knob.
2. a centering point of component parts.
3. Anatomy a knotlike mass of tissue:
   lymph node.
4. Pathology circumscribed swelling.
5. Botany
   • Botany a joint in a stem.
   • Botany a part of a stem that normally bears a leaf.
6. Mathematics knot (def. 12).
7. Mathematics [Geom.] a point on a curve or surface at which there can be more than one tangent line or tangent plane.
8. Physics a point, line, or region in a standing wave at which there is relatively little or no vibration.
9. Astronomy either of the two points at which the orbit of a heavenly body intersects a given plane, esp. the plane of the ecliptic or of the celestial equator. Cf. ascending node, descending node. 
10. Linguistics an element of a tree diagram that represents a constituent of a linguistic construction.
11. Optics See nodal point. 
12. Civil Engineering [Engin.] See panel point. 
13. nodus.

• Latin nōdus knot
• 1565–75