occipital

American  

[ok-sip-i-tl] / ɒkˈsɪp ɪ tl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated near the occiput or the occipital bone.

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noun

1. any of several parts of the occiput, especially the occipital bone.

occipital British  

/ ɒkˈsɪpɪtəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the back of the head or skull

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noun

1. short for occipital bone

Other Word Forms

• occipitally adverb
• preoccipital adjective
• superoccipital adjective

Etymology

Origin of occipital

1535–45; < Medieval Latin occipitālis, equivalent to Latin occipit- (stem of occiput ) occiput + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

The occipital lobe is the visual processing area of the brain and a stroke in this area can cause an array of visual impairments.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2025

In a post on social media, external-link Roebuck said tests found she had suffered a "left occipital infarct" but there was no lasting damage to her brain or vision.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2024

There were also differences in the interaction between the hippocampus and the visual cortex, which is responsible for processing and integrating visual information in the brain and is located in the occipital lobe.

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2024

In particular, people with a smaller temporal lobe had greater volume in their dorsomedial occipital lobe, a region involved in visual association, when compared with FTD patients who were not artistically driven.

From Scientific American • May 26, 2023

“At the occipital bone, the posterior base of my skull,” Rachael said.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick