radial symmetry
noun Biology.
a basic body plan in which the organism can be divided into similar halves by passing a plane at any angle along a central axis, characteristic of sessile and bottom-dwelling animals, as the sea anemone and starfish.
Compare
bilateral symmetry.
Origin of radial symmetry
First recorded in 1885–90
Words nearby radial symmetry
radial keratotomy,
radial motion,
radial nerve,
radial paralysis,
radial saw,
radial symmetry,
radial tire,
radial triangulation,
radial tyre,
radial vein,
radial velocity
British Dictionary definitions for radial symmetry
radial symmetry
noun
a type of structure of an organism or part of an organism in which a vertical cut through the axis in any of two or more planes produces two halves that are mirror images of each other
Compare bilateral symmetry
Scientific definitions for radial symmetry
radial symmetry
Symmetrical arrangement of parts of an organism around a single main axis, so that the organism can be divided into similar halves by any plane that contains the main axis. The body plans of echinoderms, ctenophores, cnidarians, and many sponges and sea anemones show radial symmetry. Compare bilateral symmetry.