parietal

[ puh-rahy-i-tl ]

/ pəˈraɪ ɪ tl /

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adjective

Anatomy. of, relating to, or situated near the side and top of the skull or the parietal bone.

Biology. of or relating to parietes or structural walls.

Botany. pertaining to or arising from a wall: usually applied to ovules when they proceed from or are borne on the walls or sides of the ovary.

pertaining to or having authority over residence, and especially visitation regulations between the sexes, within the walls or buildings of a college or university: a listing of the parietal regulations for the law students' dormitory.

noun

Anatomy. any of several parts in the parietal region of the skull, especially the parietal bone.

parietals. Also called parietal rules . campus regulations governing visits between members of opposite sexes to each other's dormitories or rooms.

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Origin of parietal

1590–1600; <Late Latin parietālis of, belonging to walls, equivalent to Latin pariet- (stem of pariēs) wall + -ālis-al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM parietal

in·ter·pa·ri·e·tal, adjectivesub·pa·ri·e·tal, adjectivetrans·pa·ri·e·tal, adjective

Words nearby parietal

Parian, Parian ware, parica, Paricutín, paries, parietal, parietal bone, parietal cell, parietal eye, parietal lobe, pari-mutuel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parietal in a sentence

Electrodes picked up nerve cell signals in his posterior parietal cortex, a brain area involved in speech and hand movements.
New brain implants ‘read’ words directly from people’s thoughts|Laura Sanders|November 15, 2022|Science News
In the first experiment, Reinhart and his colleagues delivered pulses of activity to match the natural rhythms of each region—high frequencies for the prefrontal cortex and low frequencies for the parietal lobe.
Brain stimulation can improve the memory of older people|Jessica Hamzelou|August 22, 2022|MIT Technology Review
Similarly, when she was asked to imagine walking through the rooms of her home, regions of the brain involved in spatial navigation, such as the posterior parietal cortex, became active.
New Research Shows How Dopamine Plays a Key Role in Consciousness|Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian|August 12, 2021|Singularity Hub
For this study, the team aimed the pulses at the posterior parietal cortex, a part of the “motor” aspect of the brain, which plans movement.
How Scientists Used Ultrasound to Read Monkeys’ Minds|Shelly Fan|March 30, 2021|Singularity Hub

The cavity in the parietal part of the plates alone becomes the true body-cavity.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
The vertebral portion of each plate with its contained cavity then becomes divided off from the parietal.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
Hence the structure of the radius is essentially the same with that of the parietal portion of the compartment.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 2 of 2)|Charles Darwin
The ends of these threads of corium generally deposit transverse calcareous septa, exactly as within the parietal tubes.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 2 of 2)|Charles Darwin
The basal radiating pores, like the parietal pores, are closed at intervals by calcareous transverse septa.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 2 of 2)|Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for parietal

parietal

/ (pəˈraɪɪtəl) /

adjective

anatomy biology of, relating to, or forming the walls or part of the walls of a bodily cavity or similar structurethe parietal bones of the skull

of or relating to the side of the skull

(of plant ovaries) having ovules attached to the walls

US living or having authority within a college

noun

a parietal bone

Word Origin for parietal

C16: from Late Latin parietālis, from Latin pariēs wall

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