Spatial

How to spell spatial

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce spatial

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does spatial mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to space and the position, area, or size of things within it.

Spatial in a sentence

• Good drivers rely on strong spatial awareness when parking in tight spaces.

• The architect studied the spatial relationship between the rooms before drawing the plans.

Where does spatial come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin noun spatium, which meant 'space', 'room', or 'an extent of ground', the same word that gave us 'space' itself. Medieval Latin formed the adjective spatialis to describe anything relating to space, and English adopted it in the seventeenth century to mean 'pertaining to space'. The interesting twist for spellers is that the noun 'space' came into English through Old French as 'espace' and lost its Latin 't', settling on a 'c' sound, while 'spatial' kept the original Latin 't' from spatium. That is exactly why the word is spelled with a 't' and not the tempting 'spacial', even though both share one Latin ancestor. Today it is a staple of science and design, used for everything from spatial awareness to spatial data in maps and software.

How the word is built

• spati- (from Latin spatium: space, room, extent)
• -al (adjective suffix)