occipital

American  

[ok-sip-i-tl] / ɒkˈsɪp ɪ tl /

adjective

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

---

noun

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

occipital British  

/ ɒkˈsɪpɪtəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the back of the head or skull

---

noun

1. short for occipital bone

Other Word Forms

• preoccipital
  adjective
• superoccipital
  adjective
• occipitally
  adverb

---

Etymology

Origin of occipital

1535–45; < Medieval Latin occipitālis, equivalent to Latin occipit- (stem of occiput ) occiput + -ālis -al ¹

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

occipital

Participants who spent a large portion of their workday sitting actually had larger frontal and occipital lobes and lower white matter hyperintensity volumes.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

The occipital lobe is the visual processing area of the brain and a stroke in this area can cause an array of visual impairments.

From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025

The 25-year-old revealed in March that she sustained a "left occipital infarct" last year but there was no lasting damage to her brain or vision.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2024

They were able to show that changes in two important brain regions, the hippocampus and the occipital lobe, as well as their interaction, have an influence on the impaired recall of personal memories in aphantasia.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2024

Each hemisphere has its own frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---