areal

adjective

ar·​e·​al ˈer-ē-əl 

ˈā-rē-əl

: of, relating to, or involving an area

The figure of merit for a disk technology is its areal density: the number of data bits reliably stored per unit area of the magnetic surface.

—Stuart S. P. Parkin

… there is a need to develop a methodology to define neighborhood in terms of comparable areal units as a health analytic.

—Wayne Gearey

areally

ˈer-ē-ə-lē 

ˈā-rē-ə-

adverb

It gave analytical significance to material culture traits, described and classified areally, by permitting their correlation with identifiable cultures.

—Michael Solot

Examples of areal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This rainfall brings the risk of locally considerable flash, urban, and areal flooding. —Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 6 Oct. 2024

The annual celebration will feature over 50 beer varieties, local vendors and family friendly outdoor activities like areal tram and mountain coaster rides. —Kim Bojórquez, Axios, 8 Aug. 2024

Studies have established that persistence, areal coverage and intensity of heat domes are increasing as the planet warms. —Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 24 June 2024

Marco Di Marco, AP An areal view of the lava field with inactive southern fissure next to the town of Grindavik, Iceland, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. —Di'amond Moore, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024

The figure below shows the most recent HDD technology roadmap from the Advanced Storage Research Consortium (ASRC), an HDD industry consortium that provides projections on storage density growth (areal density is the average amount of information stored per area on the HDD disks). —Tom Coughlin, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above