Supraorbital

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Situated on the upper part of the bony ridge that frames the eye, as in a supraorbital nerve or artery
2. Relating to the region just above the orbit of the eye in the skull, a bony area important in anatomy
3. Lying above the eye socket, describing structures or features found on the brow area of the skull

Etymology: "Supraorbital" is a plain compound: the Latin prefix "supra-", meaning "above" or "over", joined to "orbital", the adjective from "orbit". In anatomy, "orbit" names the bony socket that holds the eye, so the supraorbital is the part of the skull lying above that socket. The word therefore describes location rather than function, which is typical of anatomical terms built from Latin prefixes and roots. The "orbit" in that root comes from the Latin "orbita", meaning a track or wheel-rut, the path a wheel makes as it goes round. Anatomists borrowed the sense of a circular path to name the eye's bony cavity, and the "supra-" prefix then picks out the ridge of bone above it, which is where the supraorbital notch and nerve are found.

Antonyms: infraorbital