dorsal

dorsal, relating to the back

adjective dor-SAL Rare

Origin: Latin dorsalis, from dorsum (back)

Usage Note

Dorsal is used in anatomy (nageoire dorsale — dorsal fin), medicine (douleur dorsale — back pain), and linguistics (consonne dorsale — a consonant articulated with the back of the tongue). The feminine form is dorsale, and the plural dorsaux/dorsales. The noun la dorsale also refers to a mid-ocean ridge in geography.

Examples

"Il souffre d'une douleur dorsale chronique."

Natural Translation

He suffers from chronic back pain.

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