Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Relating to or situated on or close to the abdomen; abdominal.
- adjective Relating to or situated on or close to the anterior aspect of the human body or the lower surface of the body of an animal.
- adjective Botany Of or on the surface of an organ or part facing toward the axis; adaxial.
- noun A ventral part, such as a fin or scale.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In anatomy and zoology: Of or pertaining to the venter, in any sense; forming a venter; contained in a venter; having a venter; hollowed out like a venter; bellying; abdominal; uterine: as, ventral walls or cavities: ventral viscera; the ventral surface of the ilium or scapula; ventral fins.
- Placed ventrad in the body; situated on the side or aspect of the body opposite the dorsal or back aspect; anterior or inferior; hemal.
- In botany, belonging to the anterior surface of anything: as, a ventral suture, which is the line running down the front of a carpel on the side next the axis: the opposite of
dorsal - noun In ichthyology, a ventral fin; one of the posterior or pelvic pair of fins, corresponding to the hind limbs of higher vertebrates, and distinguished from the pectorals: so called irrespective of their actual position: as. ventrals thoracic or jugular. Abbreviated V. or verb
- noun In entomology, one of the segments of the abdomen as seen from beneath, especially in Coleoptera. They are distinguished as first, second, etc., counting backward. See urite, uromere.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or situated near, the belly, or ventral side, of an animal or of one of its parts; hemal; abdominal; ; -- opposed to
dorsal . - adjective Of or pertaining to that surface of a carpel, petal, etc., which faces toward the center of a flower.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the lower side or surface of a creeping moss or other low flowerless plant. Opposed to
dorsal . - adjective (Zoöl.) the posterior pair of fins of a fish. They are often situated beneath the belly, but sometimes beneath the throat.
- adjective (Acoustics) See
Loop , n., 5.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Related to the
abdomen orstomach - adjective anatomy On the
front side of the human body, or the corresponding surface of an animal, usually thelower surface. - adjective An anatomical term referring to the bottom portion of either foot and/or hand.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective toward or on or near the belly (front of a primate or lower surface of a lower animal)
- adjective nearest to or facing toward the axis of an organ or organism
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I always correct my primatology students to use the term ventral-dorsal when they refer to the more usual animal mating position: doggy style.
Observation: Gorillas Mate Face-To-Face Field Notes 2008
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I always correct my primatology students to use the term ventral-dorsal when they refer to the more usual animal mating position: doggy style.
Archive 2008-02-01 Field Notes 2008
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View larger image » An omphalocele is a birth defect known as a ventral wall defect, which involves the abdominal (belly) area of the fetus.
Omphalocele 2010
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One pathway, known as the ventral route, is direct and efficient: We see a group of letters, convert those letters into a word and then directly grasp the word's meaning.
Kant on a Kindle? Jonah Lehrer 2010
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The color stream in blue, is also called the ventral stream or the “what” stream.
The Two-Streams Hypothesis James Gurney 2010
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Both glucocorticoids and addictive drugs stimulate cells in a part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area (which sits atop the brainstem), to release the neurotransmitter dopamine.
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Both glucocorticoids and addictive drugs stimulate cells in a part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area (which sits atop the brainstem), to release the neurotransmitter dopamine.
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Both glucocorticoids and addictive drugs stimulate cells in a part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area (which sits atop the brainstem), to release the neurotransmitter dopamine.
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A region of the midbrain called the ventral striatum may be partly to blame for the fact that millions of Americans fell prey to risky financial gambles, such as adjustable rate mortgages.
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It pumps blood forward through a big central artery called the ventral aorta.
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH RICHARD DAWKINS 2009
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