ANTERIOR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does anterior mean? 

• ANTERIOR (noun)
  The noun ANTERIOR has 1 sense:

1. a tooth situated at the front of the mouth

  Familiarity information: ANTERIOR used as a noun is very rare.

• ANTERIOR (adjective)
  The adjective ANTERIOR has 2 senses:

1. of or near the head end or toward the front plane of a body

2. earlier in time

  Familiarity information: ANTERIOR used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ANTERIOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A tooth situated at the front of the mouth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

anterior; front tooth

Context example:

his malocclusion was caused by malposed anteriors

Hypernyms ("anterior" is a kind of...):

tooth (hard bonelike structures in the jaws of vertebrates; used for biting and chewing or for attack and defense)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "anterior"):

bucktooth (a large projecting front tooth)

Derivation:

anterior (of or near the head end or toward the front plane of a body)

• ANTERIOR (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or near the head end or toward the front plane of a body

Similar:

frontal (belonging to the front part)

frontal (of or adjacent to the forehead or frontal bone)

prefrontal (anterior to a frontal structure)

Also:

front (relating to or located in the front)

Attribute:

position; spatial relation (the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated)

Antonym:

posterior (located at or near or behind a part or near the end of a structure)

Derivation:

anterior (a tooth situated at the front of the mouth)

anteriority (the quality of being in front or (in lower animals) toward the head)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Earlier in time

Synonyms:

anterior; prior

Similar:

antecedent (preceding in time or order)

Derivation:

anteriority (preceding in time)

 Context examples 

The transparent anterior portion of the fibrous coat of the eye consisting of five layers: stratified squamous epithelium, Bowman's membrane, stroma, Descemet's membrane, and mesenchymal endothelium.

(Murine Cornea, NCI Thesaurus)

The segment of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery between the first and third diagonal branches.

(Mid-Left Anterior Descending Artery, NCI Thesaurus)

The anterior and posterior arteries created at the bifurcation of the popliteal artery.

(Murine Posterior Tibial Artery, NCI Thesaurus)

Glaucoma in which the angle of the anterior chamber is open and the trabecular meshwork does not encroach on the base of the iris.

(Open Angle Glaucoma, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

All of the arterial branches distal to the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery.

(Mid-Distal Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery and All Diagonal Coronary Branches, NCI Thesaurus)

A thin layer of tissue that forms the anterior wall of the cochlear duct, which separates it from the vestibular canal.

(Membrane of Reissner, NCI Thesaurus)

A meningioma that affects the anterior foramen magnum.

(Anterior Foramen Magnum Meningioma, NCI Thesaurus)

The anterior aspect of the foramen magnum formed by the basilar part of the occipital bone.

(Anterior Foramen Magnum, NCI Thesaurus)

Anterior gradient protein 2 homolog (175 aa, ~20 kDa) is encoded by the human AGR2 gene.

(Anterior Gradient Protein 2 Homolog, NCI Thesaurus)

A basilar artery branch that supplies the anterior portion of the inferior surface of the cerebellum.

(Anterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery, NCI Thesaurus)