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

In Oregon, when a survey team first spotted a large fish rise to the surface, they saw only its dorsal fin, said Mark Hereford, Klamath fisheries reintroduction project leader for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

From Los Angeles Times

Winter had put a life vest on the dog resembling a shark, with a dorsal fin protruding from its back.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet sea robins are most notable for their distinctively large, fan-shaped dorsal fins and for their six leg-like appendages.

From Salon

Tadamichi Morisaka, a cetology professor at Japan's Mie University, said the dorsal fin of a dolphin spotted biting a man's fingers at a beach in Tsuruga - a port city next to Mihama - matched those of a 2.5m long dolphin observed off the coast of Fukui province last year.

From BBC

The dorsal fin is like a dolphin's fingerprint, as each has distinctive notches, ridges and pigmentation.

From BBC