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jugular

[juhg-yuh-ler, joo-gyuh-]

Origin

adjective

Anatomy.

of or pertaining to the throat or neck.

noting or pertaining to any of certain large veins of the neck, especially one (external jugular vein) collecting blood from the superficial parts of the head or one (internal jugular vein) collecting blood from within the skull.

(of a fish) having the pelvic fins at the throat, before the pectoral fins.

noun

Anatomy. a jugular vein.

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Jugular is always a great word to know.

So is umbilical cord. Does it mean:

a cord connecting the embryo or fetus with the placenta of the mother and transporting nourishment from the mother and wastes from the fetus

a cord or band of dense, tough, inelastic, white, fibrous tissue, serving to connect a muscle with a bone or part; sinew

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Idiom

go for the jugular, to attack a vital and vulnerable trait, feature, element, etc., in an attempt to overcome somebody or something swiftly and totally: The defense attorney went right for the jugular by attempting to destroy the witness's credibility.

Origin:
1590–1600; < Late Latin jugulāris, equivalent to Latin jugul(um) throat (see jugulate) + -āris -ar¹

Related forms

in·ter·jug·u·lar, adjective

post·jug·u·lar, adjective

sub·jug·u·lar, adjective

Can be confused: juggler, jugular.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To jugular

Collins

World English Dictionary

jugular (ˈdʒʌɡjʊlə)

—*adj*
1.	of, relating to, or situated near the throat or neck
2.	of, having, or denoting pelvic fins situated in front of the pectoral fins: a jugular fish

—n
3.	short for jugular vein
4.	go for the jugular to make a savage and destructive attack on an enemy's weakest point

[C16: from Late Latin jugulāris, from Latin jugulum throat]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

jugular

1597, from Mod.L. jugularis, from L. jugulum "collarbone, throat, neck," dim. of jugum "yoke," related to iungere "to join," from PIE *yeug- "to join" (cf. Skt. yugam "yoke," yunjati "binds, harnesses," yogah "union;" Hittite yugan "yoke;" Gk. zygon "yoke," zeugnyanai "to join, unite;" O.C.S. igo, O.Welsh

EXPAND

iou "yoke;" Lith. jungas "yoke," jungiu "fastened in a yoke;" O.E. geoc "yoke;" probably also L. iuxta "close by").

COLLAPSE

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

jugular jug·u·lar (jŭg'yə-lər)
adj.
Of, relating to, or located in the region of the neck or throat. n.
A jugular vein.

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

jugular

see go for, def. 4.