a.; also 6 anular. [ad. L. annulār-is (prop. ānulār-is) of or pertaining to a ring, f. annul-us ring: see -AR. Perh. immed. ad. Fr. annulaire (16th c. in Littré).]
1. Of or pertaining to a ring or rings; ring-like, ring-formed, ringed. Annular space: the space between an inner and an outer ring or cylinder.
1571. Digges, Geom. Pract., II. xxii. P ij b. Diuide that anular Superficies into three other, euery one of them equall to the same inwarde circle.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., I. 27. An Annular body like a Wasp, with some eight hoops or rims.
1766. Smith, in Phil. Trans., LVI. 92. She voided … a large annular worm.
1831. Brewster, Newton, I. xiii. 371. The annular system of Saturn. Ibid. (1831), Optics, xli. § 197. Grinding an annular space on the plane surface.
1833. Sir J. Herschel, Astron., xii. 404. Annular nebulæ also exist, but are among the rarest objects in the heavens.
1874. trans. Lommel’s Light, 7. The annular intervening space between the two tubes.
2. esp. in Phys. of ringed or ring-like structures. Annular ligament: a strong muscular band girding the wrist and ankle. Annular process or protuberance (in the brain): the Pons Varolii; ‘a process of the medulla oblongata; thus called by Dr. Willis [1664], in regard it surrounds the same, much like a ring.’ Chambers, Cycl., 1727–51.
1691. Ray, Creation (1714), 275. The third Coat of an Artery … a muscular Body, composed of annular Fibres.
1743. trans. Heister’s Surg., II. 5. Three or four of its annular Cartilages.
1845. Todd & Bowman, Phys. Anat., I. 128. The annular ligaments of the wrist and ankle.
3. Astr. Annular Eclipse of the sun: when the dark body of the moon is seen projected upon the sun’s disk, so as to leave a ring of light visible all round; which happens when the moon is at such a distance from the earth, at the time of the eclipse, that its diameter appears smaller than the sun’s.
1727–51. Chambers, Cycl., Eclipse of the sun … is distinguished, like that of the moon, into total and partial, to which must be added a third species called annular.
1764. Murray, in Phil. Trans., LIV. 171. About half an hour after 10, the eclipse was barely annular.
1849. Mrs. Somerville, Connex. Phys. Sc., v. 46. [He] would see a ring of light round the disc of the moon, and the eclipse would be annular.
4. Arch. Annular Vault: a vaulted roof over an annular space between two concentric walls.
5. = ANNULARY 2.
1648. Jos. Beaumont, Psyche, V. 50 (D.).
| He pricks his annular finger, and lets fall | |
| Three drops of blood. |
1727–52. Chambers, Cycl., Annular is also an epithet given to the fourth finger; popularly called the ring finger.
