frontal

Everyday

1. Frontal means at the front or facing the front of something. tree →
2. In the body, frontal means to do with the forehead, as in the frontal bone or the frontal lobe of the brain. tree →
3. A frontal attack or approach comes straight at something from the front, openly and directly. tree →
4. (weather) A frontal system is a line where warm air and cold air meet, often bringing rain. tree →
5. (church) A frontal is a decorated cloth hung over the front of an altar. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons the frontal lobe is the front part of the brain that helps us plan, choose and control ourselves; the frontal bone is the forehead bone. In weather maps a frontal system means rain or a change is coming. In stories a frontal attack is bold and direct, not sneaky. Phrases: frontal lobe, frontal bone, head-on frontal collision, full-frontal (UK: very open or blunt).

Examples

• The frontal lobe sits just behind your forehead. tree →
• The doctor pointed to the frontal bone on the skeleton. tree →
• The knights made a frontal attack on the castle gate. tree →
• A frontal system will bring showers this afternoon. tree →
• The car crash was a frontal collision. tree →
• The photo shows a frontal view of the house. tree →
• The vicar put the green frontal on the altar for the new season. tree →
• Instead of a frontal approach, the fox crept round the side. tree →

Note

Usually an adjective that comes before a noun: frontal lobe, frontal view. Not the same as «front» (a noun) — we say «the front of the bus» but «a frontal view». A weather front is a noun; frontal is its adjective. The altar cloth sense is a countable noun: one frontal, two frontals.