concentric

adj

Etymology: From Middle English concentrik, from Middle French concentrique, from Medieval Latin concentricus, from Latin con- (“with, together”) + centrum (“circle, center”). Equivalent to con- + -centric. By surface analysis, con- + centre + -ic.

1. Having a common center.

   “Seven huge concentric semi-circular rings of stone surround the northern end, and quite rightly are Grade 2-listed by conservation body Historic England.”

   “The ordo amoris can be conceptualized as a series of concentric circles radiating outward from ourselves, beginning with loving God, who is, as Augustine put it, “closer to us than we are to ourselves,” and ending with loving the rest of the world outside our own country.”

2. Of a motion, in the direction of contraction of a muscle. (e.g. the extension of the lower arm by means of the elbow joint while contracting the triceps and other elbow extensor muscles; closing of the jaw while flexing the masseter).