noting or pertaining to any of certain large veins of the neck, especially one (external jugular vein) collecting blood from the superficial parts of the head or one (internal jugular vein) collecting blood from within the skull.
(of a fish) having the pelvic fins at the throat, before the pectoral fins.
noun
Anatomy. a jugular vein.
Idioms
go for the jugular, to attack a vital and vulnerable trait, feature, element, etc., in an attempt to overcome somebody or something swiftly and totally: The defense attorney went right for the jugular by attempting to destroy the witness's credibility.
Origin of jugular
1590–1600; < Late Latinjugulāris, equivalent to Latinjugul(um) throat (see jugulate) + -āris-ar1
Related formsin·ter·jug·u·lar, adjectivepost·jug·u·lar, adjectivesub·jug·u·lar, adjectiveCan be confusedjugglerjugular
1590s, "pertaining to the throat or neck" (especially in reference to the great veins of the neck), from Modern Latin jugularis, from Latin iugulum "collarbone, throat, neck," diminutive of iugum "yoke," related to iungere "to join," from PIE *yeug- "to join" (cf. Sanskrit yugam "yoke," yunjati "binds, harnesses," yogah "union;" Hittite yugan "yoke;" Greek zygon "yoke," zeugnyanai "to join, unite;" Old Church Slavonic igo, Old Welsh iou "yoke;" Lithuanian jungas "yoke," jungiu "fastened in a yoke;" Old English geoc "yoke;" probably also Latin iuxta "close by"). As a noun, 1610s, from the adjective.
