dorsum

American  

[dawr-suhm] / ˈdɔr səm /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

• dorsa
  plural

1. the back, as of the body.

2. the back or outer surface of an organ, part, etc.

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dorsum British  

/ ˈdɔːsəm /

noun

1. a technical name for the back 1

2. any analogous surface

   the dorsum of the hand

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dorsa
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dorsum

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1775–85

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dorsum dorsa

Septal cartilage is flexible hyaline cartilage connected to the nasal bone, forming the dorsum nasi.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The dorsum nasi is the length of the nose.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The juveniles have a tan dorsum with reddish brown blotches; the belly is gray, and the iris is cream-color above and brown below.

From Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala by William E. Duellman

Pelage of dorsum brownish; molt line across shoulders progressing posteriorly; browner anterior to line, grayer posterior to it.

From Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado by Charles L. Douglas

All of these are old adults having the terminal black parts of the hairs on the dorsum nearly worn away.

From Speciation and Evolution of the Pygmy Mice, Genus Baiomys by Robert L. Packard

Axons and cell bodies in the dorsa spinal cord convey mostly sensory information from the body to the brain.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

Looking eastward the land smoothens, the dorsa fall more gently towards the counter-slope, and there are none of the "Morros" which we have traversed.

From Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo Volume 2 by Sir Richard Francis Burton

Under this Rule, some nouns suffer a syncope; as, dorus m. a door, n. p. dorsa for dorusa.

From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Alexander Stewart

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