English Reference

Word

caudal

Phoneticscau·dal

US/ˈkɑdəɫ/

UK/kˈɔːdəl/

Definition

adj. relating to the tail of an animal. It describes things that are located at the back end of a creature's body.

adj. relating to, situated at, or near the tail. In anatomical contexts, it describes structures located toward the posterior end of the body.

Examples

“The fish has a long, caudal fin.”

“The surgeon carefully examined the caudal region of the spine to identify the source of the pain.”

“In many reptiles, the caudal vertebrae are significantly more robust than those in the cervical or thoracic regions, providing the necessary support for rapid tail movements.”

Examples

simple

“The fish has a long, caudal fin.”

contextual

“The surgeon carefully examined the caudal region of the spine to identify the source of the pain.”

complex

“In many reptiles, the caudal vertebrae are significantly more robust than those in the cervical or thoracic regions, providing the necessary support for rapid tail movements.”

Real-World Examples

“With a median caudal filament and two cerci included, their total body length reached 49.66 millimeters.”
Phys.org · 27 Aug 2026
“When the median caudal filament and two cerci were included, the total length reached 49.66 millimeters.”
ScienceDaily · 27 Aug 2026

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin caudālis (“having a tail”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

acaudalAdjectivecaudalAdjective

Related words

Domain

Zoology

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/caudal

English Reference