foramen

[ fuh-rey-muhn ]

See synonyms for foramen on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural fo·ram·i·na

[fuh-ram-uh-nuh]. /fəˈræm ə nə/.

an opening, orifice, or short passage, as in a bone or in the integument of the ovule of a plant.

Origin of foramen

1665–75; <Latin forāmen hole, opening, equivalent to forā(re) to bore² “pierce” + -men resultative noun suffix

Other words from foramen

fo·ram·i·nal [fuh-ram-uh-nl], /fəˈræm ə nl/, adjective

Words Nearby foramen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use foramen in a sentence

It is remarkable that neither of these observers should have noticed the foramen in the testa.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2] | Phillip Parker King
In Eutamias townsendii, however, the infraorbital foramen is rounded as much as in the subgenus Eutamias and in the genus Tamias.
Genera and Subgenera of Chipmunks | John A. White
The foramen magnum, occipital condyles, and exoccipitals show no unusual features.
Systematic Status of a South American Frog, Allophryne ruthveni Gaige | John D. Lynch
The ductus arteriosus closes up about the same time as the foramen ovale.
The Matron's Manual of Midwifery, and the Diseases of Women During Pregnancy and in Childbed | Frederick Hollick
This is owing to the foramen ovale being very open and closing slowly.
The Matron's Manual of Midwifery, and the Diseases of Women During Pregnancy and in Childbed | Frederick Hollick

British Dictionary definitions for foramen

foramen

/ (fɒˈreɪmɛn) /

nounplural -ramina (-ˈræmɪnə) or -ramens

a natural hole, esp one in a bone through which nerves and blood vessels pass

Origin of foramen

C17: from Latin, from forāre to bore, pierce

Derived forms of foramen

foraminal (fɒˈræmɪnəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for foramen

foramen

[ fə-rā′mən ]

Plural foramina (fə-răm′ə-nə) foramens

An opening or short passage, especially in the body.♦ The large opening in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes is called the foramen magnum (măg′nəm).♦ The opening in the septum between the right and left atria of the heart, present in the fetus but usually closed soon after birth, is the foramen ovale (ō-văl′ē, -vā′lē, -vä′-).

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