dorsal

¹

[ dawr-suhl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated at the back, or dorsum.
2. Anatomy, Zoology. Compare ventral ( def 2 ).
   1. situated on or toward the upper side of the body, equivalent to the back, or posterior, in humans.
   2. situated on or toward the posterior plane in humans or toward the upper plane in quadrupeds.
3. Botany. pertaining to the surface away from the axis, as of a leaf; abaxial.
4. Phonetics. (of a speech sound) articulated with the dorsum of the tongue.

noun

1. Phonetics. a dorsal speech sound.
2. Anatomy. a dorsal structure.

dorsal

²

[ dawr-suhl ]

noun

1. dossal ( def 1 ).

dorsal

/ ˈdɔːsəl /

adjective

1. anatomy zoology relating to the back or spinal part of the body Compare ventral
2. botany of, relating to, or situated on the side of an organ that is directed away from the axis
3. articulated with the back of the tongue, as the (k) sound in English coot

dorsal

/ dôr′səl /

1. Relating to or on the back or upper surface of an animal.

Derived Forms

• ˈdorsally, adverb

Other Words From

• dorsal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dorsal¹

1535–45; < Medieval Latin dorsālis, equivalent to Latin dors ( um ) back + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of dorsal¹

C15: from Medieval Latin dorsālis, from Latin dorsum back

Example Sentences

The team assembled “a massive dataset” of femur and dorsal rib bone densities from “an incredible menagerie of extinct and living animals, reaching out to museum curators all around the world,” Ibrahim says.

From Science News

Then they noticed the telltale dorsal fins of killer whales.

From Science News For Students

Previous studies have found that different activities recruit specific bundles of nerve fibers from a part of the spinal cord called the dorsal root.

From Singularity Hub 

Tooth marks crisscrossed its flank, and its dorsal fin was mostly bitten off.

From Science News

Previous experiments have suggested that the dorsal pallium of fish may be analogous to the amygdala of mammals, where fear memories are stored.

From Popular-Science

The building is festooned with cartoon-like images of fish, including dorsal fins that poke out of the roof.

From The Daily Beast

It has silvery blue skin and a red dorsal fin that runs the length of its body.

From The Daily Beast

The first and last lines of Lolita make my dorsal hairs quiver, as Nabokov intended.

From The Daily Beast

Relatively misshapen and formless, the dorsal figure is perhaps even more expressive of physical torment.

From The Daily Beast

The body shields of the head pass gradually into the dorsal plates.

From Project Gutenberg

The tip often forms an abrupt angle with the shaft and there is a keel on the dorsal surface of the tip (see figs. 5, 6).

From Project Gutenberg

Microscopic examination reveals that there is a faint keel on the dorsal surface of the tip.

From Project Gutenberg

Such a contrivance would save his feet, check his perspiration, and console his dorsal vertebra.

From Project Gutenberg

This body has deep pits both on the dorsal and ventral sides near the base.

From Project Gutenberg