dorsal - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

dor·sal1

Audio Help [dawr-suh

l] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	of, pertaining to, or situated at the back, or dorsum.

Anatomy, Zoology.

a.	situated on or toward the upper side of the body, equivalent to the back, or posterior, in humans.

b.	situated on or toward the posterior plane in humans or toward the upper plane in quadrupeds.

3.	Botany. pertaining to the surface away from the axis, as of a leaf; abaxial.

4.	Phonetics. (of a speech sound) articulated with the dorsum of the tongue.

–noun

5.	Phonetics. a dorsal speech sound.

6.	Anatomy. a dorsal structure.

[Origin: 1535–45; < ML dorsālis, equiv. to L dors(um) back + -ālis -al¹

]

—Related forms

dor·sal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
dorsal

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

dor·sal2

Audio Help [dawr-suh

l] Pronunciation Key

–noun

dossal (def. 1).

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dor·sal Audio Help (dôr'səl) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Anatomy Of, toward, on, in, or near the back or upper surface of an organ, part, or organism.
Botany Of or on the outer surface, underside, or back of an organ.

[Middle English, from Late Latin dorsālis, from Latin dorsuālis, from dorsum, back.]

dor'sal·ly adv.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
dorsal

1541, from M.Fr. dorsal, from L.L. dorsalis, from L. dorsualis "of the back," from dorsum "back," of uncertain origin.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

dorsal
adjective
1.	belonging to or on or near the back or upper surface of an animal or organ or part; "the dorsal fin is the vertical fin on the back of a fish and certain marine mammals" [ant: ventral]
2.	facing away from the axis of an organ or organism; "the abaxial surface of a leaf is the underside or side facing away from the stem" [syn: abaxial] [ant: adaxial]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
dorsal [ˈdoːsəl] adjective

of the back
Example: a shark's dorsal fin

Arabic:	ظَهْري
Chinese (Simplified):	背面的
Chinese (Traditional):	背面的
Czech:	hřbetní
Danish:	ryg-
Dutch:	rug-
Estonian:	selja-
Finnish:	selkä-
French:	dorsal
German:	Rücken-…
Greek:	ραχιαίος
Hungarian:	háti
Icelandic:	bak-, baklægur
Indonesian:	punggung
Italian:	dorsale

Japanese:	背の
Korean:	등의
Latvian:	muguras-
Lithuanian:	nugaros
Norwegian:	rygg-
Polish:	grzbietowy
Portuguese (Brazil):	dorsal
Portuguese (Portugal):	dorsal
Romanian:	dorsal
Russian:	спинной; дорсальный
Slovak:	chrbtový
Slovenian:	hrbten
Spanish:	dorsal
Swedish:	dorsal, rygg-
Turkish:	sırtla ilgili

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dorsal Audio Help (dôr'səl) Pronunciation Key
Relating to or on the back or upper surface of an animal.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dorsal dor·sal (dôr'səl)
adj.

Of, toward, on, in, or near the back or upper surface of an organ, a part, or an organism.
Lying on the back; supine.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ¹dor·sal
Pronunciation: 'dor-s&l
Function: adjective
1 a : being or located near, on, or toward the upper surfaceof an animal (as a quadruped) opposite the lower or ventral surface b : being or located near, on, or toward the back or posterior part of the human body
2 chieflyBritish : THORACIC —dor·sal·ly /-s&-lE/ adverb

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ²dorsal
Function: noun
: a dorsally located part; especially : a thoracic vertebra

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dorsal

Dor"sal\, a. [F. dorsal, LL. dorsalis, fr. L. dorsualis, fr. dorsum back; cf. Gr. ?, ?, mountain ridge. Cf. Dorse, Dorsel, Dosel.]

1. (Anat.) Pertaining to, or situated near, the back, or dorsum, of an animal or of one of its parts; notal; tergal; neural; as, the dorsal fin of a fish; the dorsal artery of the tongue; -- opposed to ventral.

2. (Bot.) (a) Pertaining to the surface naturally inferior, as of a leaf. (b) Pertaining to the surface naturally superior, as of a creeping hepatic moss.

Dorsal vessel (Zo["o]l.), a central pulsating blood vessel along the back of insects, acting as a heart.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dorsal

Dor"sal\, n. [LL. dorsale, neut. fr. dorsalis. See Dorsal, a.] (Fine Arts) A hanging, usually of rich stuff, at the back of a throne, or of an altar, or in any similar position.

On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dorsal

dorsal: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary

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