subdural
Americanadjective
adjective
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both boxers underwent surgery for subdural haematoma - a condition where blood collects between the skull and the brain.
From BBC • Aug. 10, 2025
Legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama, the creator of the internationally popular “Dragon Ball” series and character designer on the “Dragon Quest” video games, died Friday after suffering an acute subdural hematoma, his studio announced Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2024
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 Michener, Charles B.
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.
