anal

Adjective

anal (comparative more anal, superlative most anal)

1. (not comparable) Of, related to, intended for or involving the anus. [from 18th c.]anal thermometeran *anal examinationanal** sex*
2. (psychoanalysis) Of the stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is alleged to be concentrated on the anal region. [from 20th c.]
3. (psychology) Of a person, compulsive and stubborn, obsessed with neatness and accuracy, supposedly from not having progressed beyond the anal stage. [from 20th c.] quotations ▼

Please don't touch his furniture, as he can get very anal about things like that.

4. (entomology, of a vein) Proximate to the thorax.

Latin

Etymology

ānus +‎ -ālis.

Suffixed to adjectives creating adjectives with an intensified meaning.

aequus (“equal in a given quality; even, level”) + ‎-ālis → ‎aequālis (“equal in every respect, identical in value; uniform, unvarying”)

aeternus (“having finite but long duration as if pertaining to an aetas; lasting”) + ‎-ālis → ‎aeternālis (“having infinite duration; everlasting, infinite”)

līber (“free, independent, unrestricted; open, unbiased”) + ‎-ālis → ‎līberālis (“advocating and promoting personal freedom; bountiful, generous”)

socius (“associating, sharing, partaking”) + ‎-ālis → ‎sociālis (“companionable; allied, confederate”)

Latin

Alternative forms

• -āris, -ēlis, -īlis, -ūlis