dorsal

[ dawr-suhl ]

/ ˈdɔr səl /

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See synonyms for: dorsal / dorsals on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or situated at the back, or dorsum.

Anatomy, Zoology.

situated on or toward the upper side of the body, equivalent to the back, or posterior, in humans.
situated on or toward the posterior plane in humans or toward the upper plane in quadrupeds.

Compare ventral (def. 2).

Botany. pertaining to the surface away from the axis, as of a leaf; abaxial.

Phonetics. (of a speech sound) articulated with the dorsum of the tongue.

noun

Phonetics. a dorsal speech sound.

Anatomy. a dorsal structure.

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Origin of dorsal

1535–45; <Medieval Latin dorsālis, equivalent to Latin dors(um) back + -ālis-al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM dorsal

dor·sal·ly, adverb

Words nearby dorsal

dorp, Dorpat, dorper, Dorr's Rebellion, dorsad, dorsal, dorsal fin, dorsalis, dorsal lip, dorse, dorser

Other definitions for dorsal (2 of 2)

dorsal²

[ dawr-suhl ]

/ ˈdɔr səl /

noun

dossal (def. 1).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use dorsal in a sentence

The team assembled “a massive dataset” of femur and dorsal rib bone densities from “an incredible menagerie of extinct and living animals, reaching out to museum curators all around the world,” Ibrahim says.
Spinosaurus’ dense bones fuel debate over whether some dinosaurs could swim|Carolyn Gramling|March 23, 2022|Science News
Then they noticed the telltale dorsal fins of killer whales.
Orcas can take down the largest animal on the planet|Anna Gibbs|March 14, 2022|Science News For Students
Previous studies have found that different activities recruit specific bundles of nerve fibers from a part of the spinal cord called the dorsal root.
A Spinal Cord Implant Allowed Paralyzed People to Walk in Just One Day|Shelly Fan|February 15, 2022|Singularity Hub
Tooth marks crisscrossed its flank, and its dorsal fin was mostly bitten off.
Gory footage confirms orca pods can kill adult blue whales|Anna Gibbs|February 3, 2022|Science News

Previous experiments have suggested that the dorsal pallium of fish may be analogous to the amygdala of mammals, where fear memories are stored.
Fish brains provide insight on how humans store memories|Don Arnold / The Conversation|January 11, 2022|Popular-Science
The building is festooned with cartoon-like images of fish, including dorsal fins that poke out of the roof.
Become a Fried Seafood Believer at South Beach Market|Jane & Michael Stern|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It has silvery blue skin and a red dorsal fin that runs the length of its body.
Fishy Mystery: Are Beached Oarfish Trying to Tell Us Something?|Kevin Bailey|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The first and last lines of Lolita make my dorsal hairs quiver, as Nabokov intended.
Blake Bailey: How I Write|Noah Charney|March 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Relatively misshapen and formless, the dorsal figure is perhaps even more expressive of physical torment.
The Shroud of Turin and Thomas de Wesselow’s ‘The Sign.’|Thomas de Wesselow|April 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The body shields of the head pass gradually into the dorsal plates.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
The tip often forms an abrupt angle with the shaft and there is a keel on the dorsal surface of the tip (see figs. 5, 6).
Genera and Subgenera of Chipmunks|John A. White
Microscopic examination reveals that there is a faint keel on the dorsal surface of the tip.
Genera and Subgenera of Chipmunks|John A. White
Such a contrivance would save his feet, check his perspiration, and console his dorsal vertebra.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus
This body has deep pits both on the dorsal and ventral sides near the base.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology, March 1917|Various

British Dictionary definitions for dorsal

dorsal

/ (ˈdɔːsəl) /

adjective

anatomy zoology relating to the back or spinal part of the bodyCompare ventral (def. 1)

botany of, relating to, or situated on the side of an organ that is directed away from the axis

articulated with the back of the tongue, as the (k) sound in English coot

Derived forms of dorsal

dorsally, adverb

Word Origin for dorsal

C15: from Medieval Latin dorsālis, from Latin dorsum back

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

Scientific definitions for dorsal

dorsal

[ dôr′səl ]

Relating to or on the back or upper surface of an animal.

dorsal

Origin of dorsal

OTHER WORDS FROM dorsal

Words nearby dorsal

Other definitions for dorsal (2 of 2)

Words related to dorsal

How to use dorsal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dorsal

Derived forms of dorsal

Word Origin for dorsal

Scientific definitions for dorsal