sagittal adjective. ['sadʒɪt(ǝ)l, sǝ'dʒɪ-] LME.
[medieval Latin sagittalis, formed as SAGITTA: see -AL¹.]
1. Anatomy & Zoology.
a. Designating or pertaining to the convoluted suture on the top of the skull between the two parietal bones. Formerly also, designating or pertaining to other arrow-shaped bone sutures and processes. LME.
b. Designating, pertaining to, or lying in a plane parallel to the sagittal suture, esp. that which divides the body in the midline into right and left halves. M19.

2. Pertaining to or resembling an arrow or an arrowhead. rare. M17.

3. Optics. Pertaining to or designating the equatorial plane of an astigmatic system. E20.
Special collocations: sagittal crest Zoology a bony ridge on the top of the skull to which the jaw muscles are attached in many mammals, esp. carnivores, apes, etc. sagittal focal line, sagittal focus Optics the focus formed by rays outside the sagittal plane. sagittal ray Optics a ray in the sagittal plane. sagittal section (Anatomy & Zoology) a section taken in the sagittal plane.

■ sagittally adverb (Anatomy) in a sagittal plane L19.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲