occipital

[ ok-sip-i-tl ]

/ ɒkˈsɪp ɪ tl /

Anatomy

adjective

of, relating to, or situated near the occiput or the occipital bone.

noun

any of several parts of the occiput, especially the occipital bone.

Nearby words

occident, occidental, occidentalism, occidentalize, occidentally, occipital, occipital artery, occipital bone, occipital condyle, occipital lobe, occipital pole

Origin of occipital

1535–45; < Medieval Latin occipitālis, equivalent to Latin occipit- (stem of occiput) occiput + -ālis -al¹

Related formsoc·cip·i·tal·ly, adverbpre·oc·cip·i·tal, adjectivesu·per·oc·cip·i·tal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for occipital

Injury to the retina or optic nerve, occurring early in life, results in an under-development of the cortex in the occipital lobe.
Psychology|Robert S. Woodworth
The foramen magnum, occipital condyles, and exoccipitals show no unusual features.
Systematic Status of a South American Frog, Allophryne ruthveni Gaige|John D. Lynch
A transverse line drawn from one auditory foramen to the other traverses, as usual, the forepart of the occipital foramen.
On Some Fossil Remains of Man|Thomas H. Huxley
Cervical foramen: in coleopterous larvae - occipital foramen.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology|John. B. Smith

Occipital lobe helmet-shaped, with an apical tube on the apex and a caudal tube on the base.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, Second Part: Subclass Osculosa; Index|Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for occipital

occipital

/ (ɒkˈsɪpɪtəl) /

adjective

of or relating to the back of the head or skull

noun

short for occipital bone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for occipital

occipital

adj.

1540s, from Middle French occipital, from Medieval Latin occipitalis, from Latin occiput (genitive occipitis) "back of the skull," from ob "against, behind" (see ob-) + caput "head" (see capitulum).

Medicine definitions for occipital

occipital

[ ŏk-sĭp′ĭ-tl ]

adj.

Of or relating to the occipital bone.

n.

The occipital bone.