frontal

[ fruhn-tl ]

adjective

1. of, in, or at the front:

   a frontal view; frontal attack.

2. Anatomy.
   1. of, relating to, or situated near the forehead or the frontal bone.
   2. coronal ( def 4c ).
3. Meteorology. of or relating to the division between dissimilar air masses:

   frontal zone; frontal surface.

4. Fine Arts.
   1. exhibiting frontality.
   2. parallel to the surface in the pictorial arts or seen from the front view in sculpture:

      the frontal plane.

noun

1. Ecclesiastical. a movable cover or hanging for the front of an altar.
2. frontlet ( def 1 ).
3. Anatomy. any of several parts in the frontal region, especially the frontal bone.

frontal

/ ˈfrʌntəl /

adjective

1. of, at, or in the front
2. of or relating to the forehead

   frontal artery

3. of or relating to the anterior part of a body or organ
4. meteorol of, relating to, or resulting from a front or its passage

   frontal rainfall

noun

1. a decorative hanging for the front of an altar
2. See frontal lobe frontal bone
3. another name for frontlet

Derived Forms

• ˈfrontally, adverb

Other Words From

• frontal·ly adverb
• inter·frontal adjective
• sub·frontal adjective
• sub·frontal·ly adverb
• trans·frontal adjective
• trans·frontal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of frontal¹

1275–1325; < Late Latin frontālis ( New Latin, in anatomy sense); replacing Middle English frountel < Old French frontel. See front, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of frontal¹

C14 (in the sense: adornment for forehead, altar cloth): via Old French frontel , from Latin frontālia (pl) ornament worn on forehead, frontellum altar cloth, both from frōns forehead, front

Example Sentences

Using mice, the researchers pinpointed a group of brain cells in the frontal cortex that connects to the brainstem, where vital actions like breathing are controlled.

From Science Daily

That moment when Jake sings an off-key version of “...Baby One More Time” is “burned into my frontal cortex,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

No wonder the figure’s three-quarter view cemented the standard for European portraiture for centuries, replacing frontal or, more often, profile poses that harkened back to classical Greece and Rome.

From Los Angeles Times

For one, the great Indian bustard has good peripheral vision but poor frontal vision, making it difficult for them to spot power lines until they fly too close to them.

From BBC

But after an optician spotted a swelling behind her eyes she was immediately referred to hospital where she was diagnosed with a right frontal lobe glioma.

From BBC