Tid"al (?), a.
Of or pertaining to tides; caused by tides; having tides; periodically rising and falling, or following and ebbing; as, tidal waters.
The tidal wave of deeper souls
Into our inmost being rolls,
And lifts us unawares
Out of all meaner cares.
Longfellow.
Tidal air Physiol., the air which passes in and out of the lungs in ordinary breathing. It varies from twenty to thirty cubic inches. -- Tidal basin, a dock that is filled at the rising of the tide. -- Tidal wave. (a) See Tide wave, under Tide. Cf. 4th Bore. (b) A vast, swift wave caused by an earthquake or some extraordinary combination of natural causes. It rises far above high-water mark and is often very destructive upon low-lying coasts.
<-- called in Japan tsunami. -->
© Webster 1913.