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dorsum

[dawr-suh m]
noun, plural dor·sa [dawr-suh] /ˈdɔr sə/. Anatomy, Zoology.
  1. the back, as of the body.
  2. the back or outer surface of an organ, part, etc.
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Origin of dorsum

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1775–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dorsum

Historical Examples

  • Addorsal: close to but not quite on the middle of the dorsum.

    Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology

    John. B. Smith

  • On the anterior part of the dorsum of one of the living spiders was the egg.

    Wasps

    George W. Peckham

  • The skin of the dorsum is thick and glandular, but not tuberculate.

  • In some individuals the dark reticulation on the dorsum is faint.

  • No spiracles are discernible on the dorsum of the eighth segment.

British Dictionary definitions for dorsum

dorsum

noun plural -sa (-sə) anatomy
  1. a technical name for the back 1
  2. any analogous surfacethe dorsum of the hand
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Word Origin

C18: from Latin, literally: 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
dorsum in Medicine

dorsum

(dôr′səm)
n. pl. dor•sa (-sə)
  1. The back.
  2. The upper, outer surface of an organ, appendage, or part.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.