cen·trif·u·gal (s?n-tr?f?y?-g?l, -tr?f??-)adj.1. Moving or directed away from a center or axis.2. Operated by means of centrifugal force.3. Physiology Transmitting nerve impulses away from the central nervous system; efferent.4. Botany Developing or progressing outward from a center or axis, as in a flower cluster in which the oldest flowers are in the center and the youngest flowers are near the edge.5. Tending or directed away from centralization, as of authority: “In a feverish explosion of centrifugal nationalism, one after another of the empire’s ethnic groups proclaimed independence” (Adam Hochschild).[From New Latin centrifugus : Latin centrum, center; see center + Latin fugere, to flee.]cen·trif?u·gal·ism n.cen·trif?u·gal·ly adv.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.centrifugal (s?n?tr?fj???l; ?s?ntr??fju???l) adj1. (General Physics) acting, moving, or tending to move away from a centre. Compare centripetal2. (General Physics) of, concerned with, or operated by centrifugal force: centrifugal pump. 3. (Botany) botany (esp of certain inflorescences) developing outwards from a centre4. (Physiology) physiol another word for efferentn5. (Mechanical Engineering) any device that uses centrifugal force for its action6. (Mechanical Engineering) the rotating perforated drum in a centrifuge[C18: from New Latin centrifugus, from centri- + Latin fugere to flee] cen?trifugally advCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014cen?trif?u?gal (s?n?tr?f y? g?l, -? g?l) adj. 1. directed outward from the center (opposed to centripetal). 2. pertaining to or operated by centrifugal force: a centrifugal pump. 3. Physiol. efferent. n. 4. centrifuge. [1715?25;