frontal

[fruhn-tl]

adjective

1. of, in, or at the front.

   a frontal view; frontal attack.

2. Anatomy.

   1. of, relating to, or situated near the forehead or the frontal bone.

   2. coronal.

3. Meteorology.,  of or relating to the division between dissimilar air masses.

   frontal zone; frontal surface.

4. Fine Arts.

   1. exhibiting frontality.

   2. parallel to the surface in the pictorial arts or seen from the front view in sculpture.

      the frontal plane.

noun

1. Ecclesiastical.,  a movable cover or hanging for the front of an altar.

2. frontlet.

3. Anatomy.,  any of several parts in the frontal region, especially the frontal bone.

frontal

/ ˈfrʌntəl /

adjective

1. of, at, or in the front

2. of or relating to the forehead

   frontal artery

3. of or relating to the anterior part of a body or organ

4. meteorol of, relating to, or resulting from a front or its passage

   frontal rainfall

noun

1. a decorative hanging for the front of an altar

2. See frontal lobe frontal bone

3. another name for frontlet

Other Word Forms

• frontally adverb
• interfrontal adjective
• subfrontal adjective
• subfrontally adverb
• transfrontal adjective
• transfrontally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of frontal¹

1275–1325; < Late Latin frontālis ( New Latin, in anatomy sense); replacing Middle English frountel < Old French frontel. See front, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of frontal¹

C14 (in the sense: adornment for forehead, altar cloth): via Old French frontel , from Latin frontālia (pl) ornament worn on forehead, frontellum altar cloth, both from frōns forehead, _front

Example Sentences

During the early hours of Tuesday, a frontal system will move in from the Atlantic.

Read more on BBC

But that would be like a frontal lobotomy and reduce us to happy animals.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The altar frontal presents the Pentecost, as if on stage, enacted by high-relief figures, framed by a sinuous drape.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Several studies have identified decreases in gray matter volume in key regions such as the frontal and temporal cortices and the hippocampus, which play major roles in memory and decision-making.

Read more on Science Daily

“You’ll never be able to write a joke, and I am willing to do full frontal, but nobody’s asked me, OK?” she concluded defiantly.

Read more on Los Angeles Times