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Glite Dictionary
tergal

tergal

9.9
On the back of an animal's body
  • adjective
  • /ˈtɜrɡəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tergal
  • The tergal segment of the insect's body is crucial for its movement and agility.

Examples

  • They also discovered a contact sex pheromone in the female's tergal gland—the first time such a pheromone has been identified for any termite species.

    Academic text (2003)

  • In many fish species, the tergal surface is often brighter to attract mates.

  • Scientists studied the tergal structure of the turtle to understand its unique shell formation.

Synonyms

dorsal
vstergal
  • Specialized
16 6.7

On the back of an animal or body part

is limited to the back part of an animal's body rather than organs

Surface Forms

tergal positive

Morphology

tergal = terg + al

The word contains the learned suffix -al added to a classical root meaning 'back', but that root is not a standalone English word and is unlikely to be recoverable for an average learner.

Etymology

Tergal comes from the Latin tergum, which means 'back'. So tergal describes the 'back' or dorsal part of an animal's body.