Ventral definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

VEN'TRAL, a. [from L. venter, belly.] Belonging to the belly.
The ventral fins, in fishes, are placed between the anus and the throat.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
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, ventral] [ant: abaxial, dorsal]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: French, from Latin ventralis, from ventr-, venter Date: 1739 1. a. of or relating to the belly ; abdominal b. being or located near or on the anterior or lower surface of an animal opposite the back 2. being or located on the lower surface of a dorsiventral plant structure • ventrally adverb II. noun Date: 1834 a ventral part (as a scale or fin)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 Anat. & Zool. of or on the abdomen (cf. DORSAL). 2 Bot. of the front or lower surface. Phrases and idioms: ventral fin either of the ventrally placed fins on a fish. Derivatives: ventrally adv. Etymology: obs. venter abdomen f. L venter ventr-

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ventral Ven"tral, a. [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, n., 5.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Abdominal.