What does distal mean?

• A. Near the point of origin.
• B. At the origin.
• C. Farther from the point of origin.
• D. Toward the attachment site.

Answer: (C)

Distal describes a position that is farther from the trunk or the point where a limb attaches to the body. In anatomy, this reference point is the origin or attachment to the body, so something that is distal is farther away from that point. That’s why distal means “farther from the point of origin.” For example, the hand is distal to the shoulder, and the fingers are distal to the wrist. By contrast, proximal means closer to the trunk or origin. The other options describe locations that are near or at the origin or toward the attachment site, which isn’t what distal means.