dorsal

1 of 3

noun (1)

dor·​sal ˈdȯr-səl How to pronounce dorsal (audio)

variant of dossal

: an ornamental cloth hung behind and above an altar

dorsal

2 of 3

adjective

dor·​sal ˈdȯr-səl How to pronounce dorsal (audio)
1
: relating to or situated near or on the back especially of an animal or of one of its parts
2
dorsally adverb

dorsal

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a dorsally located part
especially : a thoracic vertebra

Did you know?

The most famous use of dorsal is with fin, whether it conjures the ominous dorsal fin of sharks or the benign, even benevolent, image of porpoises and dolphins. Less well-known is the botanical sense of dorsal, meaning "facing away from the axis or stem" (thus the underside of a leaf can be the dorsal side), or the linguistic sense referring to articulations made with the back part of the tongue (\k\ and \g\, for example). Dorsal can be used of non-living things too (in particular, the backs of airplanes), as can its opposite, ventral, which means "relating to the belly." Dorsal descends from Latin dorsum ("back"), which also gave us dossier (via French, for a bundle of documents labeled on the back) and reredos ("an ornamental screen or partition wall behind an altar").

Examples of dorsal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The largest of Antarctica’s penguin species, emperors are distinguished in adulthood by their sleek black dorsal feathers, gold-streaked beaks and a resting posture that gives the impression of a bird looking regally skyward. Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023 For example, a ray's wing or a dolphin's dorsal could look like a shark fin when sticking out of the water. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 3 Aug. 2023 There are risks associated with selective dorsal rhizotomy, most commonly ongoing numbness in the legs after the operation, but the benefits may outweigh the risks for many people. Lauren Sieben, SELF, 22 Mar. 2022 The dorsal section plays a role in distinguishing self from other and appears to be task related, whereas the ventral section, the vmPFC, contributes more to emotional processing. Robert Martone, Scientific American, 21 Dec. 2021 Thanks to their poisonous dorsal spines, the lionfish are also extravagantly ugly. Tony Perrottet, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 Water bottles fit into twin side pockets, while extra layers tuck into a stretchy dorsal pocket. Elizabeth Miller, Outside Online, 27 May 2022 African bush vipers are small reptiles known for their dorsal scales that give them a dragon-like appearance. Wilson Wong, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2021 Dierdorff said officials do not know what type of catfish stung the child, but catfish sharp barbs on their dorsal and pectoral fins should be avoided. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 21 June 2022
Adjective
The array was positioned to specifically stimulate the dorsal ganglia that most directly controlled Gauthier’s gait. IEEE Spectrum, 19 Nov. 2023 Except the dorsal vagal complex hasn’t actually been proved to exist in humans. Kristen Martin, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2023 One cause of tinnitus is probably overactivity of the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) in the brain stem. Anton Benz, Scientific American, 13 July 2023 Meanwhile, these signals form an amalgam that is funnelled into certain regions of the brain, such as the insular cortex and the dorsal mid-insula. Jessica Wapner, The New Yorker, 6 July 2023 However, just zapping fingers doesn’t provide a way of getting those signals to show up just on the bottom (palmar) side of the fingers, rather than the top (dorsal) side, which is where the signal is originating. IEEE Spectrum, 22 Apr. 2023 In a pair of user studies, most participants reported feeling over 90 percent of tactile sensation on the palmar side of their hand, despite the electrodes being mounted on the dorsal side. IEEE Spectrum, 22 Apr. 2023 The species features three dark spots on the back and blue and orange on the dorsal and anal fins. Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2023 Pumping blood from the dorsal spines into the pectoral fins pushes the fins outward from the body, and pumping blood from one side of the tail to the other and back again results in a swimming motion. IEEE Spectrum, 19 June 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dorsal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Late Latin dorsalis, from Latin dorsum back

First Known Use

Adjective

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dorsal was in 1727

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Dictionary Entries Near dorsal

Cite this Entry

“Dorsal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dorsal. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

dorsal

adjective
dor·​sal
ˈdȯr-səl
: relating to or situated near or on the back (as of an animal)
dorsally
-sə-lē
adverb

Medical Definition

dorsal

1 of 2 adjective
dor·​sal ˈdȯr-səl How to pronounce dorsal (audio)
1
a
: being or located near, on, or toward the upper surface of 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
chiefly British : thoracic
dorsally adverb

dorsal

2 of 2 noun
: a dorsally located part
especially : a thoracic vertebra
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