Meaning

5 senses

  1. With respect to, or concerning the side in which the backbone is located, or the analogous side of an invertebrate.

    Relating to the top surface of the foot or hand.

    Rücken-, dorsal

    ты́льныйtýlʹnyj, спинно́йspinnój, дорса́льныйdorsálʹnyj

    спинни́йspynnýj, хребе́тнийxrebétnyj

  2. Produced using the dorsum of the tongue.

    dorsal

    среднеязы́чныйsrednejazýčnyj, дорса́льныйdorsálʹnyj

  3. Having only one sharp side.

    единоо́стрыйjedinoóstryj

  4. Relating to the surface naturally inferior, as of a leaf.

  5. Relating to the surface naturally superior, as of a creeping hepatic moss.

More definitions
  • belonging to or on or near the back or upper surface of an animal or organ or part
  • facing away from the axis of an organ or organism

Examples

6 sentences

  1. Desert lizards have fine, granular dorsal scales.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CM · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. The killer whale's dorsal fin looks good.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · Barend · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. Camels can store a large quantity of fat in their dorsal humps.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · rul · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Dromedaries have one dorsal hump.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · Miktsoanit · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. One of my required classes in college included dissecting the entire dorsal cavity of a pig. It was disgusting.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · magnificentgoddess · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

8 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
relating to the side in which the backbone is located:
Русский
By meaning 4
relating to the top surface of foot or hand:
relating to the side in which the backbone is located:
produced using the dorsum of the tongue:
having only one sharp side:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
relating to the side in which the backbone is located:

Origin

From Late Middle English dorsal/dorsale, borrowing from Medieval Latin dorsālis (“of or re

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.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

more dorsal, most dorsal
Comparativemore dorsal Lesson
Superlativemost dorsal Lesson

regular

Synonyms

1 synonyms
Close in meaning
  • facing away from the axis of an organ or organism:abaxial

Antonyms

1 antonyms
ventral

Word family

53 related words
RelatedendorseB2dossiertabes dorsalisdorsum
Derivedanterodorsalapicodorsalbasidorsalbidorsalcaudodorsalcentrodorsalcervicodorsalcraniodorsaldistodorsaldorsal findorsal hooddorsalizationdorsalizedorsallydorsalmostdorsal platedorsal platingdorsal rootdorsal slitdorsal striatumdorsal vesseldorsalwarddorsalwardsholodorsal

Lessons for this word

2 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
dormantdormitoryB2dormousedosagedoseB2doss
dorsal — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto