anterior

[ an-teer-ee-er ]
See synonyms for: anterioranteriorityanteriorly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. situated before or at the front of; fore (opposed to posterior).

  2. going before in time or sequence; preceding; earlier: events anterior to the outbreak of war.

  1. Linguistics. (in distinctive feature analysis) articulated in the region extending from the alveolar ridge to the lips; alveolar, dental, or labial.

  2. (in animals and embryos) pertaining to or toward the head or forward end of the body.

  3. (in humans) pertaining to or toward the front plane of the body, equivalent to the ventral surface of quadrupeds.

  4. Botany. on the front side and away from the main axis, as the lower lip of a flower.

Origin of anterior

1
1535–45; <Latin, comparative of ante before, formed on model of posterior

Other words from anterior

  • an·te·ri·or·i·ty [an-teer-ee-awr-i-tee, -or-], /ænˌtɪər iˈɔr ɪ ti, -ˈɒr-/, noun
  • an·te·ri·or·ly, adverb
  • non·an·te·ri·or, adjective

Words Nearby anterior

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use anterior in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anterior

anterior

/ (ænˈtɪərɪə) /


adjective
  1. situated at or towards the front

  2. earlier in time

  1. zoology of or near the head end

  2. botany (of part of a flower or leaf) situated farthest away from the main stem

Origin of anterior

1
C17: from Latin, comparative of ante before

Derived forms of anterior

  • anteriority (ænˌtɪərɪˈɒrɪtɪ), noun

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