rear-dorsal
|rear-dor-sal|
🇺🇸
/rɪr-ˈdɔrsəl/
🇬🇧
/rɪə-ˈdɔːsəl/
on the back toward the rear
Etymology
'rear-dorsal' originates from English, specifically the words 'rear' and 'dorsal', where 'rear' meant 'the back part' and 'dorsal' comes from Latin 'dorsalis' (from 'dorsum') meaning 'back'.
'rear' comes from Old English 'hrēar' meaning 'back, hind part', while 'dorsal' derives from Latin 'dorsum' > Medieval Latin 'dorsalis'; the two elements were combined in modern English to form the compound 'rear-dorsal'.
Initially the components meant 'back/ hind part' and 'pertaining to the back'; over time the compound came to be used descriptively to indicate something located on the back toward the rear.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
situated on the dorsal (back) side and closer to the rear; located toward the back part of the dorsal surface.
The rear-dorsal fin helps stabilize the fish during swimming.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/04 07:13