parietal

[ puh-rahy-i-tl ]

adjective

1. Anatomy. of, relating to, or situated near the side and top of the skull or the parietal bone.
2. Biology. of or relating to parietes or structural walls.
3. Botany. pertaining to or arising from a wall: usually applied to ovules when they proceed from or are borne on the walls or sides of the ovary.
4. pertaining to or having authority over residence, and especially visitation regulations between the sexes, within the walls or buildings of a college or university:

   a listing of the parietal regulations for the law students' dormitory.

noun

1. Anatomy. any of several parts in the parietal region of the skull, especially the parietal bone.
2. parietals. Also called parietal rules. campus regulations governing visits between members of opposite sexes to each other's dormitories or rooms.

parietal

/ pəˈraɪɪtəl /

adjective

1. anatomy biology of, relating to, or forming the walls or part of the walls of a bodily cavity or similar structure

   the parietal bones of the skull

2. of or relating to the side of the skull
3. (of plant ovaries) having ovules attached to the walls
4. living or having authority within a college

noun

1. a parietal bone

Other Words From

• inter·pa·rie·tal adjective
• subpa·rie·tal adjective
• transpa·rie·tal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of parietal¹

1590–1600; < Late Latin parietālis of, belonging to walls, equivalent to Latin pariet- (stem of pariēs ) wall + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of parietal¹

C16: from Late Latin parietālis, from Latin pariēs wall

Example Sentences

Electrodes picked up nerve cell signals in his posterior parietal cortex, a brain area involved in speech and hand movements.

From Science News

In the first experiment, Reinhart and his colleagues delivered pulses of activity to match the natural rhythms of each region—high frequencies for the prefrontal cortex and low frequencies for the parietal lobe.

From MIT Technology Review

Similarly, when she was asked to imagine walking through the rooms of her home, regions of the brain involved in spatial navigation, such as the posterior parietal cortex, became active.

From Singularity Hub 

For this study, the team aimed the pulses at the posterior parietal cortex, a part of the “motor” aspect of the brain, which plans movement.

From Singularity Hub 

The cavity in the parietal part of the plates alone becomes the true body-cavity.

From Project Gutenberg

The vertebral portion of each plate with its contained cavity then becomes divided off from the parietal.

From Project Gutenberg

Hence the structure of the radius is essentially the same with that of the parietal portion of the compartment.

From Project Gutenberg

The ends of these threads of corium generally deposit transverse calcareous septa, exactly as within the parietal tubes.

From Project Gutenberg

The basal radiating pores, like the parietal pores, are closed at intervals by calcareous transverse septa.

From Project Gutenberg