dorsal

Etymology

From Middle English dorsal, dorsale, from Medieval Latin dorsālis (“of or relating to the back”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdɔɹsəl/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)səl

Adjective

dorsal (comparative more dorsal, superlative most dorsal)

1. (anatomy) With respect to, or concerning the side in which the backbone is located, or the analogous side of an invertebrate.
2. (of a knife) Having only one sharp side.
3. (anatomy) Relating to the top surface of the foot or hand.
4. (linguistics, of a sound) Produced using the dorsum of the tongue.
5. (botany) Relating to the surface naturally inferior, as of a leaf.
6. (botany) Relating to the surface naturally superior, as of a creeping hepatic moss.

Noun

dorsal (plural dorsals)

1. (art) A hanging, usually of rich stuff, at the back of a throne, altar, etc.
2. In snakes, any of the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, excluding the ventral scales.
3. (linguistics) A sound produced using the dorsum of the tongue.

Anagrams

• lardos

Adjective

dorsal (masculine and feminine plural dorsals)

1. dorsal

Adjective

dorsal (feminine singular dorsale, masculine plural dorsaux, feminine plural dorsales)

1. dorsal

Further reading

• “dorsal” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɔʁˈzaːl/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

dorsal (not comparable)

1. dorsal

Adjective

dorsal m, f (plural dorsais, comparable)

1. (anatomy) dorsal (of the back)
2. (anatomy) dorsal (of the top surface of a hand or foot)

Adjective

dorsal (plural dorsales)

1. (anatomy) dorsal

Noun

dorsal m (plural dorsales)

1. ridge