proximal
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing proximal
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.
Likewise, publishers who opt to create push-button novels will be sawing off the proximal tree limb with Wile E. Coyote abandon.
From Salon • Oct. 1, 2024
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
The findings are applicable to other kidney diseases where the renal proximal tubule is damaged, including acute kidney injury that can lead to chronic kidney disease and renal failure, and can be fatal.
From Science Daily • Dec. 11, 2023
Greg and Tom were both proximal to the Roy family, but existed just beyond it.
From New York Times • May 29, 2023
It should be borne in mind when interpreting these vectors that they are intended to represent the directions of flight only at the proximal ends, or junction points, of the arrows.
From A Quantitative Study of the Nocturnal Migration of Birds. Vol.3 No.2 by George H. Lowery.
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.
