external

Everyday

1. On the outside, or coming from the outside. tree →
2. Coming from another place or person, not your own school or group: «an external examiner». tree →
3. (medicine) For use on the outside of the body only, not to be swallowed. tree →

In the lessons

In science it describes the outside of a body or object: external organs, external walls. In safety it appears on medicine labels: «For external use only» means do not swallow it. In maths, an external (exterior) angle is outside a shape. Phrases: external wall, external use only, external examiner, external factors.

Examples

• The skin is the body's external covering. tree →
• This cream is for external use only. tree →
• Paint the external walls of the shed. tree →
• The external angle of a triangle is outside the shape. tree →
• An external examiner came to mark our music test. tree →
• External noise from the road made it hard to sleep. tree →
• Insects have an external skeleton called an exoskeleton. tree →
• "Nothing at all," answered their mother; "that's only something external. tree →

Note

Opposite: internal. Adverb: externally. «For external use only» is an important safety warning. Also «exterior» means outside, mostly for buildings and angles. «Externals» means the outward look of things.