distal

[ dis-tl ]

/ ˈdɪs tl /

adjective

situated away from the point of origin or attachment, as of a limb or bone; terminal.Compare proximal.

Dentistry. directed away from the sagittal plane or midline of the face, along the dental arch.Compare buccal(def 3), mesial(def 2).

Nearby words

Origin of distal

First recorded in 1800–10; dist(ant) + -al¹

Related formsdis·tal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for distal

The distal aspect of her left humerus was sticking out of the front of her arm.
New Orleans Shooting: I Saw the Mother’s Day Parade Gunman|Jarratt Pytell|May 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The distal muscles, those further away like the hands and feet, are less likely to be less affected.
‘Bucket List’ Baby Avery Canahuati: Facts About Spinal Muscular Atrophy|Andrew Carter|May 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
So it is the right side of the distal phalanx of the left index finger?
Warren Commission (4 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Sheaths cylindrical, half as long as the spines, with prominent crests, and with strong serrated teeth at the distal mouth.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia)|Ernst Haeckel

Eighteen smaller spines only one-fourth to one-half as long, linear, two-edged, with two parallel teeth on the distal end.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia)|Ernst Haeckel
The ventral or distal bud is probably double in the majority of vertebrates.
The Anatomy of the Human Peritoneum and Abdominal Cavity|George. S. Huntington
Spines sixty to eighty or more, cylindrical, at the distal end thickened, spindle-shaped.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia)|Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for distal

distal

/ (ˈdɪstəl) /

adjective

anatomy (of a muscle, bone, limb, etc) situated farthest from the centre, median line, or point of attachment or originCompare proximal

Derived Formsdistally, adverb

Word Origin for distal

C19: from distant + -al 1

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 distal

distal

adj.

1808, formed from distant + -al (1) on model of central, dorsal, ventral, etc.

Medicine definitions for distal

distal

[ dĭs′təl ]

adj.

Anatomically located far from a point of reference, such as an origin or a point of attachment.

Situated farthest from the middle and front of the jaw, as a tooth or tooth surface.