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foramen
[fuh-rey-muhn]
noun
plural
foraminaan opening, orifice, or short passage, as in a bone or in the integument of the ovule of a plant.
foramen
/ fɒˈreɪmɛn, fɒˈræmɪnəl /
noun
a natural hole, esp one in a bone through which nerves and blood vessels pass
foramen
plural
foraminaAn 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|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||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|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||ē, -vā|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||lē, -vä|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||-).
Other Word Forms
- foraminal adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of foramen1
Example Sentences
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.
Lizards and iguanas, however, sport a single row of large holes above their teeth, called foramina, where blood vessels and nerves pass through.
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.
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.
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.
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