foramen
[fuh-rey-muh n]
- an opening, orifice, or short passage, as in a bone or in the integument of the ovule of a plant.
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Origin of foramen
1665–75; < Latin forāmen hole, opening, equivalent to forā(re) to bore2 “pierce” + -men resultative noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
denttunnelvoidcraterpocketwindowgappitbreakcutspacemouthcrackorificeopeningvesicleoutletforamenstomaventExamples from the Web for foramen
Historical Examples
No foramen between third and fourth trochleae of tarso-metatarsus.
Extinct BirdsWalter Rothschild
To this they are indebted for their name Foraminifera, from foramen, a hole.
The Ocean World:Louis Figuier
The closure of the foramen is brought about by adhesion of the two septa.
The chalaza is at the insertion or base, the foramen or orifice is at the apex.
The Elements of BotanyAsa Gray
Micropyle, answering to the Foramen or orifice of the ovule.
The Elements of BotanyAsa Gray
foramen
- a natural hole, esp one in a bone through which nerves and blood vessels pass
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Word Origin
C17: from Latin, from forāre to bore, pierce
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for foramen
n.
plural foramina, 1670s, from Latin foramen "hole, opening, aperture, orifice," from forare "to pierce" (see bore (v.)).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
foramen
(fə-rā′mən)- An aperture or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
foramen
[fə-rā′mən]
- 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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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.