dorsum

[ dawr-suhm ]

noun

, Anatomy, Zoology.

, plural dor·sa [dawr, -s, uh].

1. the back, as of the body.
2. the back or outer surface of an organ, part, etc.

dorsum

/ ˈdɔːsəm /

noun

1. a technical name for the back 1
2. any analogous surface

   the dorsum of the hand

Word History and Origins

Origin of dorsum¹

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1775–85

Word History and Origins

Origin of dorsum¹

C18: from Latin, literally: back

Example Sentences

“Skin lesions over dorsum” — the upper half of her body.

From Washington Post

“They can camouflage imperfections such as a dorsal hump and make the dorsum appear straight.”

From Fox News

The dinosaur would then stay like this, “with the ballooned belly floating near the surface, and the dorsum weighted down by the heavy armour.”

From Scientific American

“A dark dorsum and lighter ventrum helps to mask the three-dimensional shape of the body by reducing self-shadowing and decreasing conspicuousness, thus helping to avoid detection by predators and prey,” the study authors wrote.

From Seattle Times

In addition, in both males and females, the dorsum of the abdomen is black with two rows of four red spots.

From The Guardian