adjective
referring to an axis
axial skeleton = trunk, the main part of the skeleton, formed of the spine, skull, ribs and breastbone
compare APPENDICULAR SKELETON
computerized axial tomography (CAT) = system of scanning a patient's body, where a narrow X-ray beam, guided by a computer, can photograph a thin section of the body or of an organ from several angles, using the computer to build up an image of the section