fontanelle

/ ˌfɒntəˈnɛl /

noun

1. anatomy any of several soft membranous gaps between the bones of the skull in a fetus or infant

Word History and Origins

Origin of fontanelle¹

C16 (in the sense: hollow between muscles): from Old French fontanele , literally: a little spring, from fontaine _fountain

Example Sentences

But after noticing that Molly's fontanelle - the soft spot on the top of her head - was bulging when she was 12 weeks, a doctor in A&E diagnosed a large brain tumour.

From BBC

America also has a spot softer than a newborn’s fontanelle for shallow nonsense.

From Salon

“The plates of its skull had not completely fused and the fontanelle was still open,” said Gatrell, meaning part of the chick’s brain had herniated out of its skull.

From The Guardian

The incubator, the tube in our son’s nose, the tender fontanelle of his crown – these were the only things I allowed myself to care about.

From The Guardian

The researchers attached a 40-gram ultrasonic probe to the anterior fontanelles of six healthy babies.

From Science Magazine