Meanings
- biologyPertaining to the surface or end opposite to the mouth in a radiate animal.
The so-called mouth is always placed at one end of these poles, and from it radiate the most prominent organs, in consequence of which I have called this side of the body the oral or actinal area, and the opposite side the aboral or abactinal area.
1857, Louis Agassiz, Contributions to Natural History, volume 4, page 376Antonyms: actinal
- biologyPertaining specifically to the echinoderm body, that part not bearing tube feet, in which appears the madreporite.
This new species has very peculiar abactinal spines that form a hooked crown and can be compared with the robust, coarse abactinal spines of H. compacta, H. leviuscula, H. skorikovi.
2020, Ubagan MD et al., A new species of the genus Henricia (Asteroidea, Spinulosida, Echinasteridae) from South Korea, Zookeys (Pensoft), pages 1–15, →DOI
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivePertaining to the surface or end opposite to the mouth in a radiate animal.
More synonyms by meaning
adjective(of radiate animals) located on the surface or end opposite to that on which the mouth is situated
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
- Proto-Italic*ap
- Latinab
- Latinab-
- Englishab-
- Englishactinal
- Englishabactinal
Translations
Dutch abactinaal
- abactinaalpertaining to the surface or end opposite to the mouth in a radiate animal
Indonesian abaktinal
- abaktinalpertaining to the surface or end opposite to the mouth in a radiate animal
Portuguese abactinal
- abactinalpertaining to the surface or end opposite to the mouth in a radiate animal
Cite this entry
abactinal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abactinal
“abactinal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abactinal. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abactinal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abactinal.
Source: abactinal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.