ventral
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the venter or belly; abdominal.
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Anatomy, Zoology. situated on or toward the lower, abdominal plane of the body; equivalent to the front, or anterior, in humans.
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Botany, Mycology. of or designating the lower or inner surface of a structure.
adjective
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relating to the front part of the body; towards the belly Compare dorsal
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of, relating to, or situated on the upper or inner side of a plant organ, esp a leaf, that is facing the axis
Other Word Forms
- interventral adjective
- postventral adjective
- preventral adjective
- subventral adjective
- subventrally adverb
- ventrally adverb
Etymology
Origin of ventral
1730–40; < Latin ventrālis, equivalent to vent ( e ) r venter + -ālis -al 1
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.
It is called the ventral hippocampus, which is responsible for learning, emotions, fear and memory.
From Salon
The proliferation was isolated to a brain region known as the ventral tegmental area, which is involved in reward learning and addiction.
From Science Daily
The researchers also found a neuronal abnormality in the developing brains of these offspring, specifically in the ventral hippocampus, a region that has been linked to anxiety and anxious behavior.
From Science Daily
The ventral striatum, a small brain region, and associated brain pathways driven by dopamine, play an important role in predicting what will be rewarding or important.
From Science Daily
Intriguingly, this modulation was not mirrored in reward centers like the ventral tegmental area, challenging previous assumptions about nicotine's impact.
From Science Daily
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.