ventral
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the venter or belly; abdominal.
-
Anatomy, Zoology. situated on or toward the lower, abdominal plane of the body; equivalent to the front, or anterior, in humans.
-
Botany, Mycology. of or designating the lower or inner surface of a structure.
adjective
-
relating to the front part of the body; towards the belly Compare dorsal
-
of, relating to, or situated on the upper or inner side of a plant organ, esp a leaf, that is facing the axis
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ventral
1730–40; < Latin ventrālis, equivalent to vent ( e ) r venter + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
The adjective ventral refers to the area on the body in the lower front, around the stomach area. The ventral fin on a fish is the one on its belly. The ventral area of anything, plant or animal, is its underside. In directional terms, the ventral side is the area forward from (or under) the spinal cord. The word comes from the Latin noun venter, which meant "belly," which lent its meaning to ventrālis, which referred to anything pertaining to the belly area. When a shark is swimming toward you, you see the dorsal fin on its back but not the ventral fin on its belly, which remains unseen beneath the waves.
Vocabulary lists containing ventral
Animals (Zoology) - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Animals (Zoology) - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lower levels in the ventral striatum were linked to greater loss of motivation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
To understand how these experiences can physically alter the developing brain, the researchers focused on the ventral tegmental area.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
It is called the ventral hippocampus, which is responsible for learning, emotions, fear and memory.
From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2025
"The fossils have been known for a long time, but no one had put it together that we could study the ventral adaptations for enrollment using these really great fossils," Losso said.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2023
By means of the oar-like hind-legs they swim actively through the water with the ventral surface upwards; the fore-legs are inserted at the hinder edge of the prosternum.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3 "Helmont, Jean" to "Hernosand" by Various
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
