jugular
[juhg-yuh-ler, joo-gyuh-]
- Anatomy.
- of or relating to the throat or neck.
- 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.
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- Anatomy. a jugular vein.
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- 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.
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Origin of jugular
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for jugular
Contemporary Examples
Both have clear strengths, clear weaknesses, and campaigns that are not afraid to go for the jugular.
These early rehearsal scenes see Simmons go for the jugular, verbally undressing his students with rapacious license.
‘Whiplash’ Is Sundance’s Hottest Film, A Music-Themed Drama Starring Miles Teller and J.K. SimmonsMarlow Stern
January 24, 2014
The camera turns away before heads are smashed; bloodthirsty baboons snarl but are never seen ripping into a jugular.
Or when in the midst of an uncomfortably aggressive tryst, Franklin forced Tara to take a bite out of his jugular.
I hope against hope that he learns how to go for the jugular sometime soon.
Historical Examples
The rifle had missed his jugular vein by little more than an inch.
Bloom of CactusRobert Ames Bennet
The mouth of the strange animal was resting upon his jugular vein.
The Desert HomeMayne Reid
The upper portion of the windpipe was severed, and likewise the jugular vein.
The Big Bow MysteryI. Zangwill
In the subcircular collar septum the two anterior (jugular) meshes are much smaller than the two posterior (cardinal) meshes.
There are no jugular plates and no marginal teeth in the jaws.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)David Starr Jordan
jugular
- of, relating to, or situated near the throat or neck
- of, having, or denoting pelvic fins situated in front of the pectoral finsa jugular fish
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- short for jugular vein
- go for the jugular to make a savage and destructive attack on an enemy's weakest point
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Word Origin
C16: from Late Latin jugulāris, from Latin jugulum throat
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for jugular
adj.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
jugular
(jŭg′yə-lər)- Of, relating to, or located in the region of the neck or throat.
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- A jugular vein.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with jugular
jugular
see go for, def. 4.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.