Definition of "ventral" []

• Anatomy Relating to or situated on or close to the abdomen; abdominal. (adjective)
• Anatomy Relating to or situated on or close to the anterior aspect of the human body or the lower surface of the body of an animal. (adjective)
• Botany Of or on the lower or inner surface of an organ that faces the axis; adaxial. (adjective)
• A ventral fin. (noun)
• The abdominal segment of an insect. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I always correct my primatology students to use the term ventral-dorsal when they refer to the more usual animal mating position: doggy style."
• "One pathway, known as the ventral route, is direct and efficient: We see a group of letters, convert those letters into a word and then directly grasp the word's meaning."
• "View larger image » An omphalocele is a birth defect known as a ventral wall defect, which involves the abdominal (belly) area of the fetus."