centripetal

(sĕn-trĭpˈĭ-tl)

1. Moving or directed toward a center or axis.
2. Operated by means of centripetal force.
3. Physiology Transmitting nerve impulses toward the central nervous system; afferent.
4. Botany Developing or progressing inward toward the center or axis, as in the head of a sunflower, in which the oldest flowers are near the edge and the youngest flowers are in the center.
5. Tending or directed toward centralization: the centripetal effects of a homogeneous population.

Related Forms:

• cen·tripˈe·tal·ly adverb