the definition of anterior

adjective

situated before or at the front of; fore ( opposed to posterior ).

going before in time or sequence; preceding; earlier: events anterior to the outbreak of war.

Linguistics. (in distinctive feature analysis) articulated in the region extending from the alveolar ridge to the lips; alveolar, dental, or labial.

(in animals and embryos) pertaining to or toward the head or forward end of the body.

(in humans) pertaining to or toward the front plane of the body, equivalent to the ventral surface of quadrupeds.

Botany. on the front side and away from the main axis, as the lower lip of a flower.

Origin:
1535–45; < Latin, comparative of ante before, formed on model of posterior

Related forms

an·te·ri·or·i·ty

[an-teer-ee-awr-i-tee, -or-] , noun

an·te·ri·or·ly, adverb

non·an·te·ri·or, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To anterior

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Anterior is always a great word to know.

So is frontal plane. Does it mean:

plane dividing the body into an upper and lower section

lie vertically and divid the body into anterior and posterior parts

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Collins

World English Dictionary

anterior (ænˈtɪərɪə)

—*adj*
1.	situated at or towards the front
2.	earlier in time
3.	zoology of or near the head end
4.	botany (of part of a flower or leaf) situated farthest away from the main stem

[C17: from Latin, comparative of ante before]

anteriority

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

1610s, from L., lit. "former," comp. of ante "before" (see ante).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

anterior an·te·ri·or (ān-tēr'ē-ər)
adj.

Placed before or in front.
Occurring before in time; earlier.
Of or relating to the front surface of the body, especially of the position of one structure relative to another; ventral.
Near the head or rostral end of certain embryos.

n.
The front surface of the body.

Example sentences

Growth hormone is released from the anterior pituitary gland.

Your front body (anterior) is tight.

His second year became forgettable when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament

in his left knee in the second game.

The anterior or cuboid articular surface is of a somewhat triangular form.

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acute anterior poliomyelitis anterior pituitary anterior pituitary luteotropin anterior tooth archencephalon arthrodire

Matching Quote

"But now moments surround us
Like a crowd, some inquisitive faces, some hostile ones,
Some enigmatic or turned away to an anterior form of time
Given once and for all. The jetstream inscribes a final flourish
That melts as it stays."

-John Ashbery