Origin: Latin suffix -al
Free radical has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule
"in the body free radicals are high-energy particles that ricochet wildly and damage cells"
A molecule, ion or atom that has one or more unpaired electrons, and which is generally highly reactive (and therefore often occurs only as a transient species).