Meanings
frontal1
- not comparableOf, relating to, directed toward, or situated at the front.
- not comparableanatomyOf or relating to the forehead or frontal bone.
- not comparableanatomyParallel to the main axis of the body and at right angles to the sagittal plane.
- not comparableclimatologyOf or relating to a weather front.
frontal2
plural frontals
- ChristianityA decorative drapery covering the front of an altar.
Even the mantelpiece is adorned with a totally unfunctional tasselled valance rather like an altar frontal.
1969, David G. Irwin, The Visual Arts, Taste and Criticism, page 27Synonyms: antependium, forecloth
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveDirected against the front or at the main point or issue.
nounA decorative drapery covering the front of an altar.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivebelonging to the front part
adjectiveof or adjacent to the forehead or frontal bone
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
frontal · adjective, noun
- New Latinfrontālis
- Englishfrontal
Borrowed from New Latin frontālis, from frons (“the forehead, brow, front”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix), equivalent to front + -al; cognate of French frontal. Doublet of frontalis.
More words from New Latin
Full word history & related roots →frontal · noun
- Latinfrontāle“a frontlet, metal band for the forehead”
- Old Frenchfrontel
- Middle Englishfrountel
- Englishfrontal
From Middle English frountel, from Old French frontel, from Latin frontāle (“a frontlet, metal band for the forehead”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic أَمَامِيّ, جَبْهِيّ
- أَمَامِيّ (ʔamāmiyy)of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- جَبْهِيّ (jabhiyy)of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Bulgarian че́лен, фасада
- че́лен (čélen)of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- фасада (fasada)façade of a building
Catalan frontal
- frontalof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Chinese Mandarin 額的 /额的, 額骨 /额骨
- 額的 /额的 (é de)of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- 額骨 /额骨 (égǔ)Translations
Czech čelní
- čelníof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Dutch frontaal
- frontaalof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Finnish otsa-, julkisivu
- otsa-of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- julkisivufaçade of a building
French frontal, frontal
- frontalof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- frontalTranslations
- frontaldrapery covering the front of an altar
German frontal, Stirn-
- frontalof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- Stirn-of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Italian frontale
- frontaleof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Polish czołowy
- czołowyof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Portuguese frontal
- frontalof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Russian ло́бный, фронта́льный
- ло́бный (lóbnyj)of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- фронта́льный (frontálʹnyj)of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- лобово́й (lobovój)of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Slovak čelný
- čelnýof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Spanish frontal
- frontalof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Tagalog harapan, pangharap
- harapanof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- pangharapof or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Ukrainian лобови́й, чолови́й
- лобови́й (lobovýj)of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
- чолови́й (čolovýj)of or relating to the forehead or frontal bone
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with frontal
Cite this entry
frontal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frontal
“frontal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frontal. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “frontal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frontal.
Source: frontal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.