If dextrad, sinistrad, and mediad mean towards the right, left, and middle respectively, what would the related terms be for up and down/top and bottom?
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2those terms are unfamiliar to me. What area of expertise are these used in? (that may give a clue as to what the ones you're looking for are)– MitchCommented Feb 23, 2015 at 20:33
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1@Mitch those are (rather rarely used) medical terms.– Matt GuttingCommented Feb 24, 2015 at 11:47
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1 Answer
You're looking for either cephalad and caudad:
cephalad, adjective. Referring to the direction of the head; towards the head. Cephalad is being increasingly replaced by “toward the head” in the working medical parlance.
(Segen's Medical Dictionary, via TheFreeDictionary.com)
caudad, directed toward the tail or distal end; opposite of cephalad. (Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition; via TheFreeDictionary.com)
or perhaps dorsad and ventrad:
dorsad, toward the back.
(Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition; via TheFreeDictionary.com)
ventrad, toward a belly, venter or ventral aspect.
(Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition; via TheFreeDictionary.com)
Which pair you pick depends on what nominal direction the body is facing.
Note: cephalad is Greek in origin; the others are Latin.
answered Feb 23, 2015 at 20:19
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1Also Antrorse : bent or directed forward or upward. (New Latin antrōrsum, from Latin anterior)– user66974Commented Feb 23, 2015 at 20:32