distal

American  

[dis-tl] / ˈdɪs tl /

adjective

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

2. Dentistry. directed away from the sagittal plane or midline of the face, along the dental arch.

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distal British  

/ ˈdɪstəl /

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

• distally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of distal

First recorded in 1800–10; dist(ant) + -al ¹

Compare meaning

How does distal compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• mesial vs. distal

Example Sentences

"Surprisingly, the distal apical dendrites responses grew significantly over time becoming increasingly sensitive to inputs that violate the patterns, while the cell bodies lost their initially strong sensitivity," says Zylberberg, a computational neuroscientist.

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2023

Mare Kimberley Dream was euthanized after sustaining a distal sesamodean ligament rupture to her front leg during Saturday’s first race.

From Washington Times • May 28, 2023

Boston manager Alex Cora announced the injury before Monday night’s game at Tampa Bay, saying the center fielder has a distal left wrist fracture.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 10, 2023

"Your hair grows out at the root end to the distal end," Labay explained.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2023

Attached to my waist was a three-foot-long safety tether with a carabiner, or snap- link, at the distal end.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer