foramen
[ fuh-rey-muh n ]
/ fəˈreɪ mən /
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.
Words nearby foramen
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/, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for foramen
British Dictionary definitions for foramen
foramen
/ (fɒˈreɪmɛn) /
noun plural -ramina (-ˈræmɪnə) or -ramens
a natural hole, esp one in a bone through which nerves and blood vessels pass
Derived forms of foramen
foraminal (fɒˈræmɪnəl), adjectiveWord Origin for foramen
C17: from Latin, from forāre to bore, pierce
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 foramen
foramen
[ fə-rā′mən ]
n. pl. fo•ra•mens
An aperture or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure.
Other words from foramen
fo•ram′i•nal (-răm′ə-nəl) null adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science 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′-).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.