critical (a.)
etymology
[ad. L. critic-us (orig. as a medical term), a. Gr. KRITIKOS critical, f. KRITOS decerned, a judge; f. KRITUS to decide, judge. Partly after F. cretique (1372, Corbichon), critique (a 1590 Paré) both in medical use.]
definitions
1. Given to judging; esp. given to adverse or unfavourable criticism; fault-finding, censorious.
2. Involving or exercising careful judgement or observation; nice, exact, accurate, precise, punctual. Now Obs. (or merged in other senses).
3. a. Occupied with or skilful in criticism.
b. Belonging or relating to criticism.
c. critical theory [tr. G. kritische Theorie, M. Horkheimer (1937) in Zeitschr. f. Sozialforschung 245], a dialectical critique of society (esp. of the theoretical bases of its organization) associated with the leaders of the Institute for Social Research at Frankfurt (the Frankfurt School).
4. Med. (and Astrol.) Relating to the crisis or turning-point of a disease; determining the issue of a disease, etc.
5. Of the nature of, or constituting, a crisis: a. Of decisive importance in relation to the issue. spec. critical path: the most important sequence of stages in an operation, determining the time needed for the whole operation; freq. attrib.
b. Involving suspense or grave fear as to the issue; attended with uncertainty or risk.
6. Tending to determine or decide; decisive, crucial.
7. Math. and Physics. a. Constituting or relating to a point at which some action, property or condition passes over into another; constituting an extreme or limiting case; as critical angle, in Optics, that angle of incidence beyond which rays of light passing through a denser medium to the surface of a rarer are no longer refracted but totally reflected; critical damping, damping which is just sufficient to prevent oscillations; critical point or temperature for any particular substance, that temperature above which it remains in the gaseous state and cannot be liquefied by any amount of pressure; critical potential = ionization potential; critical pressure, the pressure required to liquefy a gas at its critical temperature; critical state, the state of a substance when it is at its critical temperature and critical pressure; critical volume, the volume of unit mass of a substance at its critical temperature and pressure.
b. critical mass or size: in Nuclear Physics, the minimum mass or size of fissile material required in a nuclear reactor, bomb, etc., to sustain a chain reaction.
c. Nuclear Physics. Of a nuclear reactor: maintaining a self-sustaining chain reaction; esp. in phr. to go critical, to reach the stage of maintaining such a reaction. Also transf.
8. Zool. and Bot. Of species: Distinguished by slight or questionable differences; uncertain or difficult to determine.
9. Comb., as critical-minded adj.
定義
【形】
1.批評｛ひひょう｝の、酷評的｛こくひょう てき｝な、批判的｛ひはんてき｝な、非難｛ひなん｝の◆【語源】ギリシャ語kritikos(=judge)
2.危機的｛きき てき｝な、危機｛きき｝の、重大｛じゅうだい｝な、決定的に重要な意味を持つ
3.〔病状が〕重篤｛じゅうとく｝な、危篤｛きとく｝の
4.本文校訂｛ほんもん こうてい｝した
5.《生物》分類｛ぶんるい｝の境界線｛きょうかいせん｝が引きにくい、分類｛ぶんるい｝があいまいな
6.《物理》臨界｛りんかい｝の◆核分裂が持続進行し始める境界線
例文
1. Participation in this meeting is absolutely critical.
この会議への参加は必須であります。
2. He was overly critical of the presidential candidate
彼は大統領候補に対して非常に批判的だった。
3. The critical temperature of water is 374 degrees celsius
水の臨界温度は374℃である。
4. He scored a screaming goal at a critical time.
彼はギリギリの時点で絶叫なゴールを決めた。
