Ventral means towards the belly, that is, located on the front of the body. The opposite is dorsal. The breastbone lies ventrally, the spine dorsally.
Latin venter = belly
Towards the belly, anterior
ventral, anterior
In clinical language, anterior is often used as a synonym. In neuroanatomy, ventral remains the more precise term, because the axes in the brain bend relative to those of the trunk.
Details like this are a good example of why medical terminology is taught as a subject in its own right.
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