posterior

[po-steer-ee-er, poh-]

adjective

situated behind or at the rear of; hinder (opposed to anterior).

coming after in order, as in a series.

coming after in time; later; subsequent (sometimes followed by to).

Anatomy, Zoology.

(in quadrupeds) pertaining to or toward the rear or caudal end of the body.
(in humans and other primates) pertaining to or toward the back plane of the body, equivalent to the dorsal surface of quadrupeds.

Botany. toward the back and near the main axis, as the upper lip of a flower.

noun

the hinder parts or rump of the body; buttocks.

Origin of posterior

1525–35; < Latin, comparative of posterus coming after, derivative of post after

Related formspos·te·ri·or·ly, adverb

Synonym study

1. See back¹.

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

Examples from the Web for posteriorly

Historical Examples of posteriorly

Posteriorly it opens into and is continuous with the windpipe.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse
United States Department of Agriculture
Note that posteriorly the abdominal muscles are attached to a bone.
Elementary Zoology, Second Edition
Vernon L. Kellogg
Posteriorly, Meckel's cartilage is dorsal to the angulosplenial.
Cranial Osteiology of the Hylid Frog, Smilisca baudini
Linda Trueb
Anteriorly the belly is a cream-color; posteriorly it is black.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacn, Mxico
William E. Duellman
Posteriorly the blotches are less distinct, fading into the uniform grayish tan ground color of the posterior part of the body.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacn, Mxico
William E. Duellman

British Dictionary definitions for posteriorly

posterior

adjective

situated at the back of or behind something

coming after or following another in a series

coming after in time

zoology (of animals) of or near the hind end

botany (of a flower) situated nearest to the main stem

anatomy dorsal or towards the spine

noun

the buttocks; rump

statistics a posterior probability

Compare anterior

Derived Formsposteriorly, adverb

Word Origin for posterior

C16: from Latin: latter, from posterus coming next, from post after

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 posteriorly

posterior

adj.

1530s, "later," from Latin posterior "after, later, behind," comparative of posterus "coming after, subsequent," from post "after" (see post-). Meaning "situated behind" is from 1630s.

posterior

"buttocks," euphemistic, 1610s, from posterior (adj.). Earlier it meant "those who come after, posterity" (1530s). Cf. Lithuanian pasturas "the last, the hindmost," from pas "at, by."

posteriorly in Medicine

posterior

[pŏ-stîr′ē-ər, pō-]

adj.

Located behind a part or toward the rear of a structure.

Relating to the caudal end of the body in quadrupeds or the dorsal side in humans.

Near the tail or caudal end of certain embryos.