Any of the anal scales of a reptile.
"The community center held a special event to welcome new anal families who had recently moved to the city."
An individual member of that ethnic group.
In plain English: An anal person is someone who is overly focused on rules, details, and being orderly.
"The cat sat on his anal gland to relieve an itch."
Usage: This usage refers to an individual member of the Jewish people and should only be employed when discussing specific historical or religious contexts with sensitivity. In modern general English, the word is almost exclusively used as an adjective describing excessive attention to detail or cleanliness, making this noun form rare outside of specialized discussions about the term's etymology.
To penetrate anally.
"I was surprised when he decided to be anal about his personal privacy and refused to let anyone in."
In plain English: To analyze something means to look at it very closely to figure out exactly how it works.
"She analyzed the data to find the errors in the report."
Usage: The verb form of "anal" relating to penetration is not standard English and should be avoided in formal or general writing. Instead, use specific verbs like "penetrate," "enter," or "engage in anal sex" to describe the action clearly and respectfully.
a stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is concentrated on the anal region; fixation at this stage is said to result in orderliness, meanness, stubbornness, compulsiveness, etc.
"The therapist suggested that his obsessive need for perfect organization might stem from an unresolved anal stage during early childhood."
of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.
"The doctor warned that the new medication could cause irritation in anal tissues if not applied correctly."
In plain English: Anal means relating to the anus, which is the body part at the end of your digestive tract where waste leaves your body.
"The detective was so anal about checking every corner of the house that he missed the obvious clue."
Usage: Avoid using "anal" in casual conversation because its primary modern meaning refers to being overly critical, fussy, or concerned with trivial details. Reserve the literal medical definition regarding the anus strictly for formal contexts where anatomical precision is required.
An ethnic group found in Manipur in India, and in Burma/Myanmar, closely related to the Kuki people.
"During our fieldwork trip to the border regions of Manipur and Myanmar, we interviewed several Anal elders about their shared heritage with the Kuki people."
The word entered English from the Latin ānālis, which originally meant "pertaining to the anus." Its modern psychological usage as a shorthand for "anal-retentive" developed later through surface analysis of the body part's name.