Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Parietal?

\Pa*ri"e*tal\, a. [L. parietalis, fr. paries, -ietis, a wall: cf. F. pari['e]tal. Cf. {Parietary}, {Pellitory}.] 1. Of or pertaining to a wall; hence, pertaining to buildings or the care of them. 2. Resident within the walls or buildings of a college. At Harvard College, the officers resident within the college walls constitute a permanent standing committee, called the Parietal Committee. --B. H. Hall (1856). 3. (Anat.) (a) Of pertaining to the parietes. (b) Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the parietal bones, which form the upper and middle part of the cranium, between the frontals and occipitals. 4. (Bot.) Attached to the main wall of the ovary, and not to the axis; -- said of a placenta.
\Pa*ri"e*tal\, n. 1. (Anat.) One of the parietal bones. 2. (Zo["o]l.) One of the special scales, or plates, covering the back of the head in certain reptiles and fishes.