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Synonyms

proximal

American  
[prok-suh-muhl] / ˈprɒk sə məl /

adjective

  1. situated toward the point of origin or attachment, as of a limb or bone.

proximal British  
/ ˈprɒksɪməl /

adjective

  1. anatomy situated close to the centre, median line, or point of attachment or origin Compare distal

  2. another word for proximate

"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

Other Word Forms

  • interproximal adjective
  • proximally adverb

Etymology

Origin of proximal

1720–30; < Latin proxim ( us ) next (superlative of prope near) + -al 1

Explanation

Something that is proximal is situated closest to the point of attachment or origin. In medicine, it means closest to the center of the body. The opposite of proximal is distal and these terms are also used in geology. If you're talking about the proximal lava beds, you mean the ones closest to where the volcano erupted. Proximal is related to proximity, which means "nearness," and approximate, which means close to the original.

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Vocabulary lists containing proximal

Close Encounters: Synonyms for "Near"

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That conclusion was written into a seminal paper on the virus published in Nature Medicine on March 17, 2020, and titled “The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

In the new study, Dr. Bashir and colleagues observed reductions in occlusions in segmental and proximal branches of the pulmonary artery 48 hours following treatment with the BASHIR™ catheter.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2023

Greg and Tom were both proximal to the Roy family, but existed just beyond it.

From New York Times • May 29, 2023

"We have had to work really hard at this, working at a flat economy where the true value is the connection between the people, and the wealth is the connections forged between proximal neighbors."

From Salon • Dec. 21, 2022

In 1873 Dr. Rosenberg, of Dorpat, showed that there is in the bird a proximal carpal formed of two elements, and a distal carpal also formed of two elements.

From Dragons of the Air An Account of Extinct Flying Reptiles by Seeley, H. G.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.