 | Term | Definition |
| |
anterior |
nearer to or toward the front; ventral |
| |
posterior |
nearer to or toward the back; dorsal; situated behind |
| |
ventral |
belly side; same as anterior surface in human beings |
| |
dorsal |
directed toward or situated on the back side; same as posterior surface in human beings |
| |
medial, median |
middle of nearer the middle; the prefix mid- also means middle |
| |
lateral |
toward the side; denoting a position farther from the midline of the body of from a structure |
| |
superior |
uppermost or above |
| |
inferior |
lowermost or below |
| |
proximal |
nearer the origin of point of attachment |
| |
distal |
far or distant from the origin or point of attachment |
| |
cephalad |
toward the head |
| |
caudad |
toward the tail or in an inferior direction in human beings |
