dorsal

[ dawr-suh l ]

/ ˈdɔr səl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dorsal 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.

Nearby words

Origin of dorsal

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

Related formsdor·sal·ly, adverb

Definition for dorsal (2 of 2)

dorsal

[ dawr-suh l ]

/ ˈdɔr səl /

noun

dossal(def 1).

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

Examples from the Web for dorsal

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 graylings are closely allied to the trout family, having an adipose second dorsal fin.
Favorite Fish and Fishing|James Alexander Henshall
The heart (fig. 224 ht) lies under the dorsal spine and is prolonged into an anterior, posterior, and dorsal aorta.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour

The first dorsal spine is locked when erect by the second, or "trigger."
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others|James Alexander Henshall
Rounded edge of union of dorsal vascular and intermediate folds bounding the ileo-ccal fossa caudad.
The Anatomy of the Human Peritoneum and Abdominal Cavity|George. S. Huntington
Body flattened, the two dorsal borders prominent and foliaceous.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5|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 Formsdorsally, 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

Word Origin and History for dorsal

dorsal

adj.

1540s, from Middle French dorsal (14c.), from Late Latin dorsalis, corresponding to Latin dorsualis "of the back," from dorsum "back," of uncertain origin.