Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Located behind a part or toward the rear of a structure.
- adj. Relating to the caudal end of the body in quadrupeds or the dorsal side in humans and other primates.
- adj. Botany Next to or facing the main stem or axis.
- adj. Coming after in order; following.
- adj. Following in time; subsequent.
- n. The buttocks.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Later in position in a series or course of action; coming after.
- Especially, later or subsequent in time: opposed to prior.
- Situated behind; hinder: opposed to anterior. In most cases, in anatomy and zoölogy, posterior is said of parts lying behind the head, or fore end of the body; in man, also of parts lying behind the front of the body; in the former case synonymous with caudal, in the latter with dorsal. See cuts under
bivalve and Dromæus. - In botany, situated on the side nearest the axis; superior: said of the parts of an axillary flower. Compare anterior.
- n. The hinder part; in the plural, the hinder parts of the body of man or any animal.
- n. plural The latter part.
Wiktionary
- adj. Located behind, or towards the rear of an object.
- adj. Following in order or in time.
- adj. anatomy Nearer the back end; nearer the caudal end of the body in quadrupeds or the dorsal end in bipeds.
- adj. botany Next to, or facing the main stem or axis.
- n. euphemistic The buttocks.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Later in time; hence, later in the order of proceeding or moving; coming after; -- opposed to
prior . - adj. Situated behind; hinder; -- opposed to
anterior . - adj. (Anat.) At or toward the caudal extremity; caudal; -- in human anatomy often used for
dorsal . - adj. (Bot.) On the side next the axis of inflorescence; -- said of an axillary flower.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
- adj. located at or near or behind a part or near the end of a structure
- n. a tooth situated at the back of the mouth
- adj. coming at a subsequent time or stage
Etymologies
- From Latin posterior, comparative of posterus ("coming after"). (Wiktionary)
- Latin, comparative of posterus, coming after, from post, afterward; see apo- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Several of these anterior and posterior roots, situated at about the same height on opposite sides of the spinal cord, converge and combine into what are called the _anterior_ and _posterior bundles_; then two bundles, anterior and posterior, unite and form the trunk of a spinal nerve.”
“To the recess behind the cervix the term posterior fornix is applied, while the smaller recesses in front and at the sides are called the anterior and lateral fornices.”
“OWENS: Well, most likely what he is having is what we call a posterior fasa (ph) stroke.”
“I'll admit I'm feeling a bit like my posterior is hanging out of a car window on this one, but it's good to stretch as a writer -- even if there's a breeze.”
“[NUCULA PROXIMA] Shell small, ovate, smooth, interior pearly; anterior margin short; posterior side elongated, obtuse; margin crenate.”
“Should I call posterior to check the status of my application or just wait?”
Mortgage and Home Loans. Tips, Reports and Information - RSS Feed Available
“The mental image of the collective Dispatch editorial board delivering this sloppy wet ass kiss of an endorsement to Slick Jonny Husted’s posterior is as sad as it is disgusting.”
The Washington Post: Dispatch (R-Columbus) Delivers Sloppy Wet Ass Kisses to Slick Jonny Husted
“She was facing up this is called the posterior position with her head tilted back and stuck under my pelvic bone and had not descended into the birth canal at all, despite hours of labor and pushing.”
The Huffington Post: Cara McDonough: I Don't Care How My Baby Is Born
“Functional imaging studies have uncovered a culprit, a kind of flabby region of the brain called the posterior lateral prefrontal cortex (pLPFC).”
The Huffington Post: Josh Clark: How Does Multitasking Affect Memory?
“The reshaping of the posterior is a thriving sub-specialty unto itself.”
The Washington Post: Plastic surgeons provide a fine-looking model of success at gathering
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘posterior’.
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SCIE - EU nomenclature
All the scientific words found in the official EU nomenclature. For the screening I used Vocabgrabber of the Visual Thesaurus.
abdominal, absorbent, accelerator, accumulator, acebutolol, acetamide, acetanilide, acetate, acetic acid, acetone, acetous, acetyl and 1171 more...
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buttocks
words for buttocks and anything
to do with buttockssteatopygia, callipygous, callipygian, tuchis, tot, stern, seat, rear, rump, keisterrump, fundament, fanny and 160 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
veal, valve, used, yak, wax, wan, teak, vat, vas, strip, use, strap and 4515 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6689 more...
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Physical anthropology
acclimatization, adriatic, aegyptid, aeta, aethiopid, africoid, ainuid, aistin, alae, alare, albino, allele and 202 more...
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Words I Know
List of most of the words I've learned
garner, abase, abate, abdicate, abduct, aberration, abet, abhor, abide, abject, abjure, abnegation and 1046 more...
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wickedwitch's list
lll
alit, plinth, eclat, diaphanous, portico, nival, daedal, apse, fossa, pellet, avail, midge and 143 more...
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NTDW1
template, modal, sublingual, tandem, polycentric, septuagenarian, token, irrevocable, denotive, augural, aberrant, phlebotomy and 1188 more...
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Misc. Words.
Words I like to use, words I like but may forget.
corrosion, astonish, solace, ferment, continuum, kinesthetic, permeate, repose, caprice, cardinal, discourse, surrender and 610 more...
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parlerodermime's Words
loquacious, orange, lackadaisical, rhythm, esoterrorist, contrary, enchanted, extraordinary, nymph, chatter, incessant, time and 168 more...
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thricedotted's Words
schadenfreude, vanquish, calumny, obsequious, rhapsody, expostulate, promontory, bordello, quintessence, catharsis, recapitulation, myriad and 937 more...
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botello360's list
ruminate, steel, bifurcation, arrivederci, portage, tactile, ruminant, rift, anecdotage, diacritic, cud, hull and 399 more...
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Going Postal
Words that contain the letters "post" in that order, etymology not important.
post, postal, riposte, post up, imposter, posterity, posterior, postpartum, postnasal, dumb as a post, posthole, posthole digger and 37 more...
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Anatomical
cephalad, rostral, caudad, mesial, medial, lateral, superior, inferior, anterior, posterior, deep, superficial and 38 more...
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syncrisis
AKA: Opposites attract.
recto, verso, dextral, sinistral, dorsal, ventral, distal, proximal, anterior, posterior, rostral, caudal and 8 more...
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Patent Parlance
defining the words that define invention
distal, axial, lateral, external, medial, inferior, anterior, posterior, imbricate, juxtapose, oblique, mating and 20 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for posterior.
mollusque How about fundament? Oct 10, 2008
whichbe This might be the most dignified word for 'ass' I can think of. Oct 10, 2008