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

After missing 14 games across the last two seasons with a torn ACL and a partial tear of his distal bicep tendon, Edefuan Ulofoshio is back.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 14, 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

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

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2023

“And here you can see evidence of thickening of the distal small intestine,” says Professor Willard McGovern, his voice devoid of inflection.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen