the definition of anteriorly

[an-teer-ee-er]

See more synonyms for anterior on Thesaurus.com

adjective

situated before or at the front of; fore (opposed to posterior).
going before in time or sequence; preceding; earlier: events anterior to the outbreak of war.
Linguistics. (in distinctive feature analysis) articulated in the region extending from the alveolar ridge to the lips; alveolar, dental, or labial.

(in animals and embryos) pertaining to or toward the head or forward end of the body.
(in humans) pertaining to or toward the front plane of the body, equivalent to the ventral surface of quadrupeds.
Botany. on the front side and away from the main axis, as the lower lip of a flower.

Origin of anterior

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

Related formsan·te·ri·or·i·ty

[an-teer-ee-awr-i-tee, -or-] /ænˌtɪər iˈɔr ɪ ti, -ˈɒr-/, nounan·te·ri·or·ly, adverbnon·an·te·ri·or, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for anteriorly

previously, ahead, since, back, sooner, ante, ere, fore, former, formerly, forward, gone, heretofore, past, previous, afore, aforetime, antecedently, anteriorly

Examples from the Web for anteriorly

Historical Examples of anteriorly

Annihilation is impossible if anteriorly it was something real.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 2
Plotinos (Plotinus)
Anteriorly it does not form part of the margin of the anteorbital notch.
The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphidae
Frederick True
In this animal there are only two gut-diverticula, which are situated most anteriorly.
The Origin of Vertebrates
Walter Holbrook Gaskell
It unites dorsally with the exoccipitals and anteriorly with the basisphenoid.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
Dorsally it is fixed to the squamosal and anteriorly to the quadratojugal.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for anteriorly

adjective

situated at or towards the front
earlier in time
zoology of or near the head end
botany (of part of a flower or leaf) situated farthest away from the main stem

Compare posterior

Derived Formsanteriority (ænˌtɪərɪˈɒrɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for anterior

C17: from Latin, comparative of ante before

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for anteriorly

adj.

1610s, Latin, literally "former," comparative of ante "before" (see ante). Related: Anteriority.

anteriorly in Medicine

[ăn-tîr′ē-ər]

adj.

Placed before or in front.
Occurring before in time; earlier.
Of or relating to the front surface of the body, especially of the position of one structure relative to another; ventral.
Near the head or rostral end of certain embryos.

The front surface of the body.