fontanel

or fon·ta·nelle

[ fon-tn-el ]

/ ˌfɒn tnˈɛl /

noun Anatomy.

one of the spaces, covered by membrane, between the bones of the fetal or young skull.

Words nearby fontanel

fontainebleau, fontainebleau school, fontal, fontana, fontane, fontanel, fontanelle, fontange, fontanne, fontenelle, fonteyn

Origin of fontanel

1375–1425; late Middle English fontinel < Middle French fontanele little spring, diminutive of fontaine fountain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fontanelle

It is externally surrounded by bone or cartilage, but sometimes it lies near a fontanelle or opening in the skull above.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
Furthermore, the fontanelle in question may alter its characteristic appearance in certain forms of sickness.
Pedagogical Anthropology|Maria Montessori
The head was large, fontanelle open—superficial veins more apparent than natural.
Remarks on the Subject of Lactation|Edward Morton
Fontanelle, fon-ta-nel′, n. a gap between the bones of the skull of a young animal: an opening for the discharge of pus.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various

A keyhole-shaped frontoparietal fontanelle is present; the fontanelle is narrow anteriorly and wide posteriorly.
The Systematics of the Frogs of the Hyla Rubra Group in Middle America|Juan R. Len

British Dictionary definitions for fontanelle

fontanelle

mainly US fontanel

/ (ˌfɒntəˈnɛl) /

noun

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

Word Origin for fontanelle

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

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

Medicine definitions for fontanelle

fontanel

n.

Any of the soft membranous gaps between the incompletely formed cranial bones of a fetus or infant.soft spot