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

They wanted to know if the distal apical dendrites processed visual stimuli differently from their cell bodies when the signals both matched and violated expected patterns.

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

I learned how to name a skeleton part by part, from parietal to distal phalanx.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2022

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