This means belly. This word is used when an organism is in anatomic position and it is necessary to describe a feature on its body so that others can understand without actually seeing the organism where something is in reference to something else. This word is useful because although we may think of the stomach as the ventral surface because our belly is to the front, those people who study or treat other organisms have to be able to distinguish between the "front", or anterior surface and the belly. For example, a dog's ventral surface is not its anterior surface, but its "bottom", or inferior surface.

Also see superior, anterior, posterior, dorsal, cephalic, caudal, proximal, distal, medial, lateral, superficial, deep, prone, supine, plane, and region.