Word
dorsal
Phoneticsdor·sal
US/ˈdɔɹsəɫ/
UK/dˈɔːsəl/
Definitions
01anatomy/biology
adj. relating to the back of an animal or the upper side of a body part.
adj. relating to the upper side or back of an animal, plant, or organ; the opposite of ventral.
“The shark's dorsal fin was visible just above the surface of the water.”
“Marine biologists identified the individual whale by the unique scarring patterns found on its dorsal surface near the blowhole.”
Technical
Usage
Commonly used in the compound noun 'dorsal fin'.
Antonyms
02linguistics
adj. describing a sound made using the back part of your tongue.
adj. articulated with the back or dorsum of the tongue, such as the sounds /k/ or /g/.
“The 'k' sound in 'cat' is a dorsal consonant.”
“The researcher noted that the patient had difficulty articulating dorsal consonants, suggesting a motor control issue with the back of the tongue.”
Technical · Academic
03decorative hanging
n. a decorative cloth or curtain hung behind an altar or a throne.
n. an ornamental cloth or tapestry suspended behind an altar, throne, or seat of state.
“The throne was decorated with a beautiful silk dorsal.”
“The cathedral's restoration included the cleaning of a fifteenth-century dorsal that hung behind the high altar.”
Formal · Technical
Real-World Examples
“The animals typically keep a low profile, exposing their dorsal fins at the surface for only a second or two while breathing.” “Right whales don’t have a dorsal fin on their backs, making them even harder to spot from a ship.” Etymology
From Late Middle English dorsal/dorsale, borrowing from Medieval Latin dorsālis (“of or relating to the back”), from dorsum (“the back”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to dorsum + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
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englishreference.com/q/dorsal