adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈkɔː.tɪ.kəl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈkɔɹ.tɪ.kəl/
CMU ARPABET:K AO1 R T AH0 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure, such as the kidney or the brain.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Pertaining to the cortex of a stem or root—the tissue that lies inward from the epidermis, but exterior to the vascular tissue.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective
Meaning 3
of or relating to a cortex
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Latin cortex (“bark”), stem cortic-, + -al.
Across languages
Translations
14 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Catalan:
cortical
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Finnish:
kortikaalinen
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Finnish:
kuori-
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Latin:
corticālis
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Norwegian Bokmål:
kortikal
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Polish:
korowy
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Portuguese:
cortical
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Russian:
корковый
(korkovyj)
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Russian:
кортика́льный
(kortikálʹnyj)
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Spanish:
cortical
— anatomy: pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Catalan:
cortical
— botany: pertaining to the cortex of a stem or root
Finnish:
kortikaalinen
— botany: pertaining to the cortex of a stem or root
Latin:
corticālis
— botany: pertaining to the cortex of a stem or root
Polish:
korowy
— botany: pertaining to the cortex of a stem or root