rectalis

Rectalis is a Latin adjective meaning related to the rectum. In medical terminology, it is not the name of a standalone structure but rather a term used to form compound names that indicate a relationship to the rectum.

In anatomy and clinical usage, rectalis appears in Latinized designations for various structures associated with the rectum. Examples in older or bilingual texts include arteria rectalis superior (superior rectal artery), venae rectales (rectal veins), and plexus rectalis (rectal nerve or venous plexus). In modern English-language anatomy, these terms are typically rendered as “rectal” (for example, superior rectal artery, rectal veins), but the Latin form persists in historical, anatomical, or comparative contexts.

The term is primarily adjectival and descriptive rather than naming a specific organ or muscle. There is no widely recognized modern anatomy term for a structure simply called “Rectalis.” Instead, rectalis serves to specify the relation of a structure to the rectum, especially in descriptions of the anorectal region, its vasculature, innervation, or surrounding tissues.

See also

Rectum, anorectal region, rectal artery, rectal veins, rectal plexus.