Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Anatomy Relating to or situated on or close to the abdomen; abdominal.
- adj. Anatomy 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.
- adj. Botany Of or on the lower or inner surface of an organ that faces the axis; adaxial.
- n. A ventral fin.
- n. The abdominal segment of an insect.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- 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
- n. 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
- n. 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.
Wiktionary
- adj. Related to the abdomen or stomach
- adj. anatomy On the front side of the human body, or the corresponding surface of an animal, usually the lower surface.
- adj. An anatomical term referring to the bottom portion of either foot and/or hand.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. (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 . - adj. Of or pertaining to that surface of a carpel, petal, etc., which faces toward the center of a flower.
- adj. Of or pertaining to the lower side or surface of a creeping moss or other low flowerless plant. Opposed to
dorsal .
WordNet 3.0
- adj. toward or on or near the belly (front of a primate or lower surface of a lower animal)
- adj. nearest to or facing toward the axis of an organ or organism
Etymologies
- From Latin ventrālis, from venter ("belly, abdomen"). (Wiktionary)
- Late Latin ventrālis, from Latin venter, ventr-, belly. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“I always correct my primatology students to use the term ventral-dorsal when they refer to the more usual animal mating position: doggy style.”
“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.”
“View larger image » An omphalocele is a birth defect known as a ventral wall defect, which involves the abdominal (belly) area of the fetus.”
“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.”
The Huffington Post: Thea Singer: Stress and Addiction -- How to Cope
“The color stream in blue, is also called the ventral stream or the “what” stream.”
“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.”
“It pumps blood forward through a big central artery called the ventral aorta.”
“We found activity in a tiny little factory near the base of the brain called the ventral tegmental area.”
“They found robust activity in a brain region called the ventral tegmental area, which is rich in dopamine, a brain chemical connected to feelings of pleasure.”
“A recent brain-imaging study of 26 young people conducted at UCLA revealed that a region of the brain called the ventral striatum, which normally responds to a reward or any new, unexpected stimulus, overreacts in teenagers.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘ventral’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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phrontistery-v
from phrontistery.info
vulviform, vulvar, vulturine, vulpine, vulpicide, vulpecular, vulnerose, vulsella, vulnerary, vulnerate, vulgus, vulgo and 396 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
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A Galimafrée of Plant Anatomy & Morph...
A hodgepodge, jumble, jambalaya, *gallimaufry, circus and tent revival of plant anatomy and morphology terms and phrases - its a big tent, and no tickets are required.
*array, collecti...naked bud, leaf blade, brochidodromous, serrate, cork cambium, rhizomatous, flower stalk, deciduous sepal, petal, whorl, nectar gland, stamen and 1348 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 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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exlotuseater's Words
autocthonous, anacoluthon, benthic, bactrian, caryatid, chiastic, dryad, dromedary, effulgent, elixir, fricative, fungible and 145 more...
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Human Anatomy
Terms relating to the human body, primarily in osteology.
humerus, scapula, ulna, radius, maxilla, mandible, mandible, occipital bone, parietal bone, frontal bone, tibia, talus and 104 more...
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sionnach's Words
contumely, fomite, holmgang, poltroon, eleemosynary, obsidian, nugatory, grindcore, felch, recrudescent, pyx, parenteral and 3271 more...
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Oh them words, them words
My fancies, my cudgels.
liquescent, ferly, lamia, basilisk, trigon, fantast, stirp, tristesse, enfleurage, stemma, formicary, lacrimation and 346 more...
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kingrat47's Words
procrustean, devolution, cacophony, hippopotamus, crunch, beware, chortled, sibilant, subtle, undermine, acromegaly, acropolis and 645 more...
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Words of Dinosaurology
This quickly got bigger and weirder than originally intended, so now it's housing terms that relate to the study of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. See also Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, Ichthy...
zygopophyses, ziphodont, plesiomorphic, cleidoic, endothermy, ectothermy, viviparous, vertebrae, cervical, dorsal, sacral, caudal and 628 more...
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Loxodont's list
circumambulate, atelectasis, paramount, therefore, apotropaic, facture, identity, dome, lecture, cannibal, catatonia, rite and 119 more...
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wordsmithing part deux
because wordsmith is not a verb.
enmity, incarnate, chignon, nape, solitude, nocturne, decorum, warren, svelte, interstice, serene, charlotte and 488 more...
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wackyvorlon's list
herein, execrable, extirpate, ameliorate, sawbuck, obstreperous, truculent, festinate, exiguous, exsanguinate, vehement, vex and 135 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
Tweets
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