ventral

noun

: a ventral part (such as a scale or fin)

Examples of ventral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The dorsal is the back and the ventral is in the front. —Womensmedia, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021

This mental effort pays off: As the hippocampus activates, so too does the ventral striatum, another of the brain’s dopaminergic reward centers. —Popular Science, 8 Apr. 2020

Earlier studies had shown that specific nerve pathways leading to a structure known as the ventral tegmental area (VTA) were important for the aversive nature of the foot shock. —Robert Martone, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2019

Return as of 5/13/17 is 68 hatchery adult, 2 natural origin, 12 Cowlitz origin (ventral clipped), and 0 Lewis origin. —Mark Yuasa, The Seattle Times, 17 May 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ventral

• ventral root

Rhymes for ventral

• central
• anteroventral
• posteroventral
• dorsoventral
• epicentral
• precentral

Kids Definition

ventral

adjective

ven·​tral

ˈven-trəl

1

: of or relating to the belly : abdominal

2

: being or located on or near the surface of the body that in human beings is the front but in most other animals is the lower surface

a fish's ventral fins

ventrally

-trə-lē

adverb

Medical Definition

ventral

adjective

ven·​tral ˈven-trəl 

1

: of or relating to the belly : abdominal

2

a

: being or located near, on, or toward the lower surface of an animal (as a quadruped) opposite the back or dorsal surface

b

: being or located near, on, or toward the front or anterior part of the human body