- a variation of fontanel.
fontanelle
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of fontanelle
C16 (in the sense: hollow between muscles): from Old French fontanele , literally: a little spring, from fontaine fountain
Explanation
A fontanelle is the soft spot on a baby's head where the skull bones haven't finished growing and fusing together. Even though the fontanelle seems delicate, it's actually quite sturdy and protective. The fontanelle allows a newborn baby's brain to continue growing, while the skull expands more slowly. It also means the bones of the skull can flex a bit when the baby is born — in other words, it can compress as it's squeezed through the birth canal without damaging the baby's head. As babies grow, the fontanelle begins to close. The Old French root of fontanelle, fontaine, means "hollow in the earth where a spring arises."
Vocabulary lists containing fontanelle
Anything But Typical
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Seraphina
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Farther east and north, the National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings for areas near the towns of Griswold, Corning, Fontanelle and Guthrie Center, among others.
From Seattle Times • May 21, 2024
He gets around his house or down the streets of Fontanelle by maneuvering his motorized wheelchair with sips or puffs into a tube.
From Washington Times • Mar. 26, 2017
There are also some reminders of “House,” too, including Kal Penn, who played a protégé of Dr. House and here is cast as Detective Fontanelle White, a.k.a.
From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2015
In 1890 he won his Ph.D. with a thesis: Pineal Fontanelle of Placaderm and Catfish.
From Time Magazine Archive
In 1843 they returned to their village, between the Elkhorn and the Missouri, and made a peace with some of the Sioux, but their great chief, Logan Fontanelle, was killed by them not long after.
From Descriptive Catalogue of Photographs of North American Indians by Jackson, W. H.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
