posterior
[po-steer-ee-er, poh-]
- 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.
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- the hinder parts or rump of the body; buttocks.
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Origin of posterior
1525–35; < Latin, comparative of posterus coming after, derivative of post after
Synonym study
1. See back1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for posteriorly
Historical Examples
Posteriorly it opens into and is continuous with the windpipe.
Special Report on Diseases of the HorseUnited States Department of Agriculture
Note that posteriorly the abdominal muscles are attached to a bone.
Elementary Zoology, Second EditionVernon L. Kellogg
Posteriorly, Meckel's cartilage is dorsal to the angulosplenial.
Anteriorly the belly is a cream-color; posteriorly it is black.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacn, MxicoWilliam 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, MxicoWilliam E. Duellman
posterior
- 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
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- the buttocks; rump
- statistics a posterior probability
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Compare anterior
Word Origin
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
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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.
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posterior
n.
"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."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
posterior
(pŏ-stîr′ē-ər, pō-)- 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.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.