foramen

[ fuh-rey-muh n ]
/ fəˈreɪ mən /
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.

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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

forage mite, foraging, foraging ant, foraker, foram, foramen, foramen cecum medullae oblongatae, foramen magnum, foramen of vena cava, foramen spinosum, foramina
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to foramen

dent, tunnel, void, crater, pocket, window, gap, pit, break, cut, space, mouth, crack, orifice, opening, vesicle, outlet, stoma, vent, cranny

Example sentences 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), adjective

Word 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

Medical 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.

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′-).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.