dorsiventral

[ dawr-suh-ven-truhl ]

adjective

1. Botany. having distinct dorsal and ventral sides, as most foliage leaves.
2. Zoology. dorsoventral.

dorsiventral

/ ˌdɔːsɪˈvɛntrəl; ˌdɔːsɪvɛnˈtrælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. (of leaves and similar flat parts) having distinct upper and lower faces
2. a variant spelling of dorsoventral

Derived Forms

• dorsiventrality, noun
• ˌdorsiˈventrally, adverb

Other Words From

• dorsi·ven·trali·ty noun
• dorsi·ventral·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dorsiventral¹

First recorded in 1880–85; dorsi- + ventral

Example Sentences

With hardly an exception the liverworts are dorsiventral, and usually one side is turned to the substratum and the other exposed to the light.

From Project Gutenberg

The dorsiventral thallus is constructed on the same plan throughout the group, and shows a lower region composed of cells containing little chlorophyll and an upper stratum specialized for assimilation and transpiration.

From Project Gutenberg

Advance has been along two lines, markedly in relation to insect-pollination, one of which has culminated in the hypogynous epipetalous bicarpellate forms with dorsiventral often large and loosely arranged flowers such as occur in Scrophulariaceae, and the other in the epigynous bicarpellate small-flowered families of which the Compositae represent the most elaborate type.

From Project Gutenberg

In Monocotyledons a similar advance from hypogyny to epigyny is observed, and from the dorsiventral to the radial type of flower.

From Project Gutenberg