coronal
Americannoun
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a crown; coronet.
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a garland.
adjective
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of or relating to a coronal.
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Anatomy.
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of or relating to a corona.
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(of a plane along the long axis of the body) lying in the direction of the coronal suture.
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Also lying in the direction of the frontal plane.
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Phonetics. (of a speech sound) articulated with the tip of the tongue, especially in a retroflex position.
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Linguistics. (in distinctive feature analysis) articulated with the blade of the tongue raised; dental, alveolar, or palato-alveolar.
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of or relating to the tip of the tongue.
noun
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poetic a circlet for the head; crown
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a wreath or garland
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anatomy short for coronal suture
adjective
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of or relating to a corona or coronal
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phonetics a less common word for retroflex
Other Word Forms
- coronaled adjective
- coronally adverb
- noncoronal adjective
Etymology
Origin of coronal
1300–50; Middle English < Latin corōnālis, equivalent to Latin corōn ( a ) crown + -ālis -al 1
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.
Even in a quieter year, it only takes one large solar flare or a coronal mass ejection directed towards Earth to produce a stunning Northern Lights display across the UK.
From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025
A real-world example occurred on November 11, when the Sun produced a coronal mass ejection following an intense flare.
From Science Daily • Dec. 9, 2025
A violent solar storm can generate an eruption of particles and magnetic fields, known as a coronal mass ejection, that if aimed directly at Earth could damage satellites and the power grid on the surface.
From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025
Image:This artist’s impression shows a coronal mass ejection, or CME, around a nearby star.
From Space Scoop • Nov. 28, 2025
The eyes were hollow and the carven beard was broken, but about the high stern forehead there was a coronal of silver and gold.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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Definitions 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.