What does occipital mean?
Occipital describes the back of the head and the structures located there, including the occipital bone and the occipital lobe of the brain. The term comes from the Latin occiput, meaning the back of the head, and is used mainly in medicine, anatomy, and neuroscience. As an adjective, it appears in expressions such as “occipital bone” and “occipital lobe.” As a noun, “the occipital” refers to the skull bone forming the back and part of the base of the cranium. The occipital lobe is especially well known for its role in visual processing, including recognising shapes, movement, colour, and other visual information. Although the word may sound unfamiliar in general conversation, it is useful when discussing anatomy or neurological injuries and conditions affecting vision and the rear of the brain.
Relating to or situated at the back of the head, especially to the occipital bone, the occipital region of the skull, or the occipital lobe of the brain.
"The occipital lobe contains regions involved in interpreting visual information."
The occipital bone, the bone forming the back and part of the base of the skull.
"The occipital articulates with the parietal bone and the first cervical vertebra."
Rare in general prose; “occipital bones” is more usual when referring to the bones separately.
"The skull contains paired occipitals in some vertebrates."
Your occipital lobe is the brain’s visual processing centre, helping turn the world into images.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does occipital come from?
The English word comes from Latin occipitalis, an adjective derived from occiput, meaning “the back of the head.” The Latin word combines ob- with caput, “head,” and related English words such as capital, capitulum, and capillary reflect the same Latin root through different developments. The English medical and anatomical sense became established in the early modern period.
Related word forms
How occipital is actually used
The word is formal and chiefly anatomical or neurological. In British and American English, the usual initial pronunciation has a strong second syllable; the first vowel may sound like /ɒ/ in British English or /ɑ/ in American English.
Easily confused with occipital
Occipital is an adjective or noun referring to the back of the head or the occipital bone, whereas the occipitalis is a muscle that extends across the back of the head.