From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Ventral \Ven"tral\, adjective [L. ventralis, fr. venter the belly; perhaps akin to G. wanst: cf. F. ventral.]
1. (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or situated near, the belly, or ventral side, of an animal or of one of its parts; hemal; abdominal; as, the ventral fin of a fish; the ventral root of a spinal nerve; -- opposed to {dorsal}.
2. (Bot.) (a) Of or pertaining to that surface of a carpel, petal, etc., which faces toward the center of a flower. (b) Of or pertaining to the lower side or surface of a creeping moss or other low flowerless plant. Opposed to {dorsal}.
{Ventral fins} (Zo["o]l.), the posterior pair of fins of a fish. They are often situated beneath the belly, but sometimes beneath the throat.
{Ventral segment}. (Acoustics) See {Loop}, noun, 5.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: toward or on or near the belly (front of a primate or lower surface of a lower animal); "the ventral aspect of the human body"; "the liver is somewhat ventral in position"; "ventral (or pelvic) fins correspond to the hind limbs of a quadruped" [ant: {dorsal}]
2: nearest to or facing toward the axis of an organ or organism; "the upper side of a leaf is known as the adaxial surface" [syn: {adaxial}] [ant: {abaxial}]
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