adj
dorsal
DAW-suhl
adj
1
Located on or relating to the upper or back side of an animal, fish, or body part — the side where the backbone runs.
"A shark is easy to spot by its triangular dorsal fin."
"The dorsal side of your hand is the side with your knuckles, not your palm."
How to Use Dorsal
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDescribes the back or upper surface of something, especially in anatomy — as opposed to the front (ventral) side.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "ventral," which means the opposite (belly or front side).
Easily confused with
ventral
Common pairings
dorsal fin
dorsal side
dorsal surface
Word Forms
more dorsal comparative, dorsals plural, most dorsal superlative
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A shark is easy to spot by its triangular _____ fin.
Etymology
From Late Middle English dorsal, borrowed from Medieval Latin dorsalis ("of the back"), from dorsum ("the back").