tubular
tubular Lexical Profile
tubular Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Long, round, and hollow like a tube; consisting of or constructed with tubes.
"The patio chairs were constructed from lightweight tubular steel."
American (Slang) Exciting, impressive, or excellent, originally used by surfers to describe a hollow, curling wave.
"In 1980s teen movies, characters often described anything cool as totally tubular."
Producing a resonant, hollow sound as if passing through a tube or pipe.
"The orchestral score featured the deep, tubular resonance of brass chimes."
• noun
A lightweight bicycle tire in which the inner tube is permanently sewn inside the outer casing and glued directly onto a special wheel rim.
"The track cyclist preferred riding on tubulars for their low rolling resistance and high pressure capacity."
• Rhymes for tubular
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Modern Latin tubularis, derived from Latin tubulus ('small pipe'), the diminutive of tubus ('tube'). The slang sense meaning 'excellent' originated in 1970s California surfing culture, referring to the desirable hollow cylinder formed by a breaking ocean wave.