dorsum
Americannoun
plural
dorsa-
the back, as of the body.
-
the back or outer surface of an organ, part, etc.
noun
-
a technical name for the back 1
-
any analogous surface
the dorsum of the hand
Etymology
Origin of dorsum
Borrowed into English from Latin around 1775–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Skin lesions over dorsum” — the upper half of her body.
From Washington Post
“They can camouflage imperfections such as a dorsal hump and make the dorsum appear straight.”
From Fox News
The dinosaur would then stay like this, “with the ballooned belly floating near the surface, and the dorsum weighted down by the heavy armour.”
From Scientific American
“A dark dorsum and lighter ventrum helps to mask the three-dimensional shape of the body by reducing self-shadowing and decreasing conspicuousness, thus helping to avoid detection by predators and prey,” the study authors wrote.
From Seattle Times
In addition, in both males and females, the dorsum of the abdomen is black with two rows of four red spots.
From The Guardian
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
