Word.ws English Dictionary

nuchal

US/ˈnu.kəl/

nuchal noun: the back of the neck. Also the ellipsis of nuchal translucency scan.

Noun

nuchal (plural nuchals)

  1. The back of the neck.
    Synonyms:
    nape, nucha
  2. A neck scale, especially of a lizard.
    • Dunn gives a key to a part of this group of Eumeces, based upon the number of nuchals, placing the two American species (he does not consider Eumeces altamirani Dugès) in a group having 14-17 pairs of nuchals;[…].1935, The Kansas University Science Bulletin, volume 23, page 105
    • Growth patterns of clavicles, cleithra, opercles, medial nuchals, dorsal scutes, and pectoral fin ray sections have been compared in white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus.2004, B.G. Kapoor, Bhavna Khanna, Ichthyology Handbook, page 248

Adjective

nuchal (not comparable)

  1. Of or pertaining to the back or nape of the neck.
    • What is the differential diagnosis of increased nuchal thickness? Although most fetuses with increased nuchal thickness are normal, the differential diagnosis of increased nuchal thickness includes an increased risk of fetal aneuploidy, particularly trisomy 21.2004, Vikram Dogra, Deborah J. Rubens, Ultrasound Secrets, Hanley & Belfus, page 58
    • Nuchal thickness was the first sonographic marker associated with an increased risk of trisomy 21 in the fetus and is now accepted as the single most sensitive and specific marker for the detection of DS in the second trimester, in high- and low-risk pregnancies.2006, A. Antsaklis, “Ultrasonographic soft markers for chromosomal abnormalities”, in Asim Kurjak, Frank A. Chervenak, editors, Textbook of Perinatal Medicine, 2nd edition, Informa Healthcare, page...

Also used as

nuchal is also the ellipsis of nuchal translucency scan.

Examples of nuchal in a sentence

  • Scales are weakly differentiated, with head scales flat and smooth, nuchals small and smooth, dorsal scales small and keeled, and tail scales larger ventrally than laterally, without wings.2004, Hans-Georg Horn, “6.19: Varanus salvadorii”, in Eric R. Pianka, Dennis R. King, Ruth Allen King, editors, Varanoid Lizards of the...
  • Many particulars of the nuchal torus region and nuchal plane are preserved (see Caspari, 1991 for further details, our description replies heavily on Caspari's work).2006, David W. Frayer, Jan Jelinek, Martin Oliva, Milford H. Wolpoff, “Chapter 9: Aurignacian male crania, jaws and teeth from the Mladeč...

Synonyms of nuchal

Forms of nuchal

pluralnuchals

Origin of nuchal

Borrowed from Medieval Latin nuchālis, from nucha + -ālis, from Arabic نُخَاع (nuḵāʕ, “spinal cord”).

Words formed from nuchal

Phrases with nuchal

Questions about nuchal

What does nuchal mean?
Nuchal means the back of the neck.
How do you use nuchal in a sentence?
Scales are weakly differentiated, with head scales flat and smooth, nuchals small and smooth, dorsal scales small and keeled, and tail scales larger ventrally than laterally, without wings.
What part of speech is nuchal?
Nuchal can be a noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce nuchal?
Nuchal is pronounced /ˈnu.kəl/ (US).
What is the plural of nuchal?
The plural of nuchal is nuchals.

Words near nuchal in the dictionary

  1. Nucet
  2. Nucflash
  3. nuch
  4. nucha
  5. nuchae
  6. nuchal
  7. nuchal cord
  8. nuchal cords
  9. nuchal scan
  10. nuchal scans
  11. nuchal translucency scan

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: nuchal (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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