subdural

American  

[suhb-door-uhl, -dyoor-] / sʌbˈdʊər əl, -ˈdjʊər- /

adjective

Anatomy.

1. of, relating to, or situated below the dura mater, between the dura mater and the arachnoid membrane.

   a subdural hematoma.

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subdural British  

/ sʌbˈdjʊərəl /

adjective

1. anatomy between the dura mater and the arachnoid

   subdural haematoma

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Etymology

Origin of subdural

First recorded in 1870–75; from Swedish; sub- ( def. ) + dural ( def. )

Explanation

Something that's subdural is located under the outermost membrane that protects the brain. After a nasty tackle, a football player might be diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, or bleeding on the brain. You'll almost always come across the adjective subdural in a medical context — either at the doctor's office or in a an anatomy textbook, for example. It's used for something beneath the outer layer of membranes around the brain, which are known as the dura or dura mater. Add the Latin prefix sub- ("under") to dura and you get subdural, or "under the dura."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subdural

Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, reached a conclusion of accidental death and said Dame Jilly, 88, died as a result of a traumatic subdural haematoma.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025

He said he suffered “a small subdural hematoma, a little rim of bleeding in the space around the brain,” and a cervical fracture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2023

Sometimes older people suffer slow bleeds after hitting their heads, known as subdural hematomas, which can cause confusion, paralysis and even death if the pressure is allowed to gradually build up.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 2, 2022

Ms. Tobias’s stepdaughter, Mari Tomizuka, said the cause was complications of a subdural hematoma resulting from a fall.

From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2022

It may also be due to an extravasation of blood or to exudation in the subdural or arachnoid spaces.

From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Charles B. Michener