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anterior

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Anterior
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an⋅te⋅ri⋅or

  [an-teer-ee-er]
Use anterior in a Sentence
–adjective
1. situated before or at the front of; fore (opposed to posterior ).
2. going before in time or sequence; preceding; earlier: events anterior to the outbreak of war.
3. Linguistics. (in distinctive feature analysis) articulated in the region extending from the alveolar ridge to the lips; alveolar, dental, or labial.
4. (in animals and embryos) pertaining to or toward the head or forward end of the body.
5. (in humans) pertaining to or toward the front plane of the body, equivalent to the ventral surface of quadrupeds.
6. Botany. on the front side and away from the main axis, as the lower lip of a flower.
Origin:
1535–45; < L, comp. 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Anterior
Accurate Definitions Of Anterior On Blurtit. Learn More Online Today!
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an·te·ri·or   (ān-tîr'ē-ər)   
adj.  

  1. Placed before or in front.

  2. Occurring before in time; earlier.

  3. Anatomy

    1. Located near or toward the head in lower animals.

    2. Located on or near the front of the body in higher animals.

    3. Located on or near the front of an organ or on the ventral surface of the body in humans.

  4. Botany In front of and facing away from the axis or stem.


[Latin, comparative of ante, before; see ant- in Indo-European roots.]
an·te'ri·or'i·ty (-ôr'ĭ-tē, -ŏr'-) n., an·te'ri·or·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

anterior 
1611, from L., lit. "former," comp. of ante "before" (see ante).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: an·te·ri·or
Pronunciation: an-'tir-E-&r
Function: adjective
1 : relating to or situated near or toward the heador toward the part in headless animals most nearly corresponding to the head
2 : situated toward the front of the body : VENTRAL —used in human anatomy because of the upright posture of humans —an·te·ri·or·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

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

  1. Placed before or in front.

  2. Occurring before in time; earlier.

  3. Of or relating to the front surface of the body, especially of the position of one structure relative to another; ventral.

  4. Near the head or rostral end of certain embryos.

n.
The front surface of the body.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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