foramen
Americannoun
plural
foraminanoun
plural
foramina-
An opening or short passage, especially in the body.
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◆ The large opening in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes is called the foramen magnum (măg|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||nəm).
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◆ 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|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||ē, -vā|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||lē, -vä|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||-).
Other Word Forms
- foraminal adjective
Etymology
Origin of foramen
1665–75; < Latin forāmen hole, opening, equivalent to forā ( re ) to bore 2 “pierce” + -men resultative noun suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It had a prominent pineal foramen -- a hole in the top of its head that many lizard species use to sense sunlight and judge the length of daylight hours.
From Science Daily
Lizards and iguanas, however, sport a single row of large holes above their teeth, called foramina, where blood vessels and nerves pass through.
From Science Magazine
The shape of the opening at the base of its skull—the foramen magnum—suggested Sahelanthropus balanced its head on top of a vertical neck, similar to upright walkers such as today’s humans.
From Science Magazine
Similar pits and foramina are seen in other dinosaur bones near inferred structures, like the sheaths covering horns, thought to have been made of keratin, which forms our nails and birds' beaks and feathers.
From Science Magazine
In a 2014 article for Men’s Health, Bruschi wrote that he had a patent foramen ovale, basically a small hole in his heart, and had surgery to repair the congenital heart defect following his stroke.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
