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jugular

noun

  1. jugular vein
  2. the most vital or vulnerable part of something
L322878 on Wikidata ↗

adjective

  1. of or relating to the throat or neck
  2. of or relating to the jugular vein
L337977 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.jʊl.ə/ / /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.jəl.ɚ/ / /ˈd͡ʒu.ɡjəl.ɚ/

adj

Etymology: Late 16th century borrowing from Late Latin jugulāris, from jugulum (“the collarbone; the hollow part of the neck above the collarbone; the throat”) + -āris (“-ar, -ary”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to jugulum + -ar.

  1. Relating to, or located near, the neck or throat.
  2. Relating to, or located near, the neck or throat.
  3. Having ventral fins attached under the throat.
  4. Relating to juggling.

noun

Etymology: Late 16th century borrowing from Late Latin jugulāris, from jugulum (“the collarbone; the hollow part of the neck above the collarbone; the throat”) + -āris (“-ar, -ary”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to jugulum + -ar.

  1. Ellipsis of jugular vein.
  2. Any critical vulnerability.

    It was vicious; he went for the jugular.

    One of Lionel's old Salthill friends with whom he exchanged perhaps a dozen words a year, and with whom he sometimes played squash, and tennis, both men killers on the court, seeking the jugular […].