Dorsal is an anatomical term of location that refers to the back or top of the body. In most instances, the term dorsal will refer to a person's back or posterior anatomical plane. However, when referring the the skull, the term dorsal refers to the top.

Is dorsal a top or bottom?

The dorsal (from Latin dorsum 'back') surface of an organism refers to the back, or upper side, of an organism. If talking about the skull, the dorsal side is the top. The ventral (from Latin venter 'belly') surface refers to the front, or lower side, of an organism.

What does dorsal mean?

1a : being or located near, on, or toward the upper surface of an animal (as a quadruped) opposite the lower or ventral surface. b : being or located near, on, or toward the back or posterior part of the human body. 2 chiefly British : thoracic. Other Words from dorsal. dorsally \ -​sə-​lē \ adverb.

What does dorsal mean the same as?

Anatomy, Zoology. situated on or toward the upper side of the body, equivalent to the back, or posterior, in humans.

What does dorsal mean in anatomy?

Posterior or dorsal - back (example, the shoulder blades are located on the posterior side of the body). Medial - toward the midline of the body (example, the middle toe is located at the medial side of the foot).

Anatomical Position And Directional Terms - Anatomical Terms - Directional Terms Anatomy

What does dorsal mean in biology?

Dorsal: Relating to the back or posterior of a structure. As opposed to the ventral, or front, of the structure. Some of the dorsal surfaces of the body are the back, buttocks, calves, and the knuckle side of the hand.

What is the dorsal foot?

The dorsum of foot is the area facing upwards while standing.

Does dorsal mean back?

On a human body, dorsal (i.e., posterior) refers to the back portion of the body, whereas ventral (i.e., anterior) refers to the front part of the body. ... For example, the stomach is ventral to the spinal cord, which means that the stomach is located in front of the spinal cord.

What is a dorsal view?

Posterior (or dorsal) Describes the back or direction toward the back of the body.

Where is the distal?

Distal refers to sites located away from a specific area, most often the center of the body. In medicine, it refers to parts of the body further away from the center. For example, the hand is distal to the shoulder. The thumb is distal to the wrist.

What does dorsal mean and what is its opposite?

Dorsal means toward the back, away from the stomach side. Its opposite is ventral.

What is ventral surface?

Ventral: Pertaining to the front or anterior of any structure. The ventral surfaces of the body include the chest, abdomen, shins, palms, and soles. Ventral is as opposed to dorsal. From the Latin "venter" meaning belly.

What direction is posterior?

Posterior (or dorsal) describes the back or direction toward the back of the body.

What is deep anatomy?

Deep: In anatomy, away from the surface or further into the body. As opposed to superficial. The bones are deep to the skin.

What is dorsal to the heart?

Dorsal side means back side and Ventral side means front side. The back side of the heart will be Dorsal and the Front side toward our chest will be ventral. The dorsal surface of the heart lies near the bodies of the vertebrae, and its anterior surface sits deep to the sternum and costal cartilages.

What is the opposite of medial?

Medial means toward the middle or center. It is the opposite of lateral. The term is used to describe general positions of body parts.

What is the opposite of ventral?

Ventral is an adjective with the meanings: Directed toward or situated on the belly surface of, or anterior aspect of, the body; pertaining to the part or location opposite the anatomic back. ... The opposite of ventral is dorsal.

What are the 14 directional terms?

• Anterior: In front of, front.
• Posterior: After, behind, following, toward the rear.
• Distal: Away from, farther from the origin.
• Proximal: Near, closer to the origin.
• Dorsal: Near the upper surface, toward the back.
• Ventral: Toward the bottom, toward the belly.
• Superior: Above, over.

What is the top of foot called?

• Talus – the bone on top of the foot that forms a joint with the two bones of the lower leg, the tibia and fibula.
• Calcaneus – the largest bone of the foot, which lies beneath the talus to form the heel bone.
• Tarsals – five irregularly shaped bones of the midfoot that form the foot's arch.

What is dorsal and plantar?

As adjectives the difference between dorsal and plantar

is that dorsal is (anatomy) with respect to, or concerning the side in which the backbone is located, or the analogous side of an invertebrate while plantar is pertaining to the bottom surface (sole ) of the foot, as with plantar warts compare palmar.

Is there a name for the top of the foot?

Talus. The talus is the top (most proximal) bone of the foot. Because it articulates with so many other bones, 70% of the talus is covered with hyaline cartilage (joint cartilage).

What does dorsal mean on a frog?

Dorsal refers to the back side and ventral is the belly side. Note the difference in colors. This actually helps the frog stay hidden when it swims in water.