Meaning & use
caudal
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounbiologymedical
Relating to, near, or toward the tail or hind end of an animal's body.
Grammar: Mainly used before anatomical nouns, as in caudal fin or caudal vertebrae.
Patterns
- caudal fin
- caudal vertebrae
- caudal end
The caudal fin helps the fish steer through the water.
A caudal vertebra is located toward the tail end of the spine.
In the diagram, the caudal region is shaded gray.
Common combinations
- caudal fin
- A shark swims by sweeping its caudal fin from side to side.
- caudal vertebrae
- The fossil preserved several caudal vertebrae.
- caudal region
- The injury was limited to the caudal region of the body.
- caudal anesthesia
- Caudal anesthesia is used in some lower-body procedures.
Synonyms and how they differ
- posterior
- Means toward the back or rear; broader than caudal and common in anatomy.
- rear
- An everyday word for the back part, without precise anatomical direction.
Opposites
Word family
- caudally adverb
- In a direction toward the tail or hind end.
Commonly confused: caudal or causal?
caudal vs causal
Causal relates to cause and effect; caudal relates to the tail or rear end.
Practice
The caudal fins are near the tail, whereas cranial structures are near the ___.
Choose one answer.
Cranial comes from cranium, meaning skull, so cranial means near the head. Tail and fins repeat the caudal end; the spine runs along the body rather than marking the head.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “caudal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.