dorsal
A hanging, usually of rich stuff, at the back of a throne, altar, etcA hanging, usually of rich stuff, at the back of a throne, altar, etc.
» Desert lizards have fine, granular dorsal scales.
Meaning
3 sensesA hanging, usually of rich stuff, at the back of a throne, altar, etc.
Near-synonyms: altar screen, rood screen (not always different)
Any of the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, excluding the ventral scales.
A sound produced using the dorsum of the tongue.
Examples
6 sentencesDesert lizards have fine, granular dorsal scales.
The killer whale's dorsal fin looks good.
Camels can store a large quantity of fat in their dorsal humps.
Dromedaries have one dorsal hump.
One of my required classes in college included dissecting the entire dorsal cavity of a pig. It was disgusting.
Origin
From Late Middle English dorsal/dorsale, borrowing from Medieval Latin dorsālis (“of or reFrom 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.
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