Category:Dorsal

Dor"sal, a. Etym: [F. dorsal, LL. dorsalis, fr. L. dorsualis, fr. dorsum back; cf. Gr. Dorse, Dorsel, Dosel.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or situated near, the back, or dorsum, of an animal or of one of its parts; notal; tergal; neural; as, the dorsal fin of a fish; the dorsal artery of the tongue; -- opposed to ventral.

2. (Bot.) (a) Pertaining to the surface naturally inferior, as of a leaf. (b) Pertaining to the surface naturally superior, as of a creeping hepatic moss. Dorsal vessel (Zoöl.), a central pulsating blood vessel along the back of insects, acting as a heart.

dorsal Dor"sal, n. Etym: [LL. dorsale, neut. fr. dorsalis. See Dorsal, a.] (Fine Arts)

Defn: A hanging, usually of rich stuff, at the back of a throne, or of an altar, or in any similar position.