Definition of: anterior

(an·tir′ē·ər) adjective
1. Antecedent in time; prior; earlier: ages anterior to the Flood.
2. Farther front or forward, in space: an anterior cavity.
3. Biol Situated in front: opposed to posterior, in the lower animals, relatively near the head; in man, toward the ventral side of the body.
4. Bot. Turned away from the main axis or stem, as the side of a leaf or flower; lower. [<L, compar. of ante before]
—an·te′ri·or·ly adverb Synonyms: former, forward, front, prior. Anterior is employed chiefly with reference to place. Prior bears exclusive reference to time. Former is used of time, or of position in written or printed matter, not of space in general. Compare ANTECEDENT, PREVIOUS. Antonyms: after, hind, hinder, hindmost, later, latter, posterior, subsequent, succeeding.