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foramen

[fuh-rey-muh n]
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noun, plural fo·ram·i·na [fuh-ram-uh-nuh] /fəˈræm ə nə/.
  1. 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
Related formsfo·ram·i·nal [fuh-ram-uh-nl] /fəˈræm ə nl/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for foramen

Historical Examples

  • No foramen between third and fourth trochleae of tarso-metatarsus.

    Extinct Birds

    Walter 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.

  • Micropyle, answering to the Foramen or orifice of the ovule.

British Dictionary definitions for foramen

foramen

noun plural -ramina (-ˈræmɪnə) or -ramens
  1. a natural hole, esp one in a bone through which nerves and blood vessels pass
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Derived Formsforaminal (fɒˈræmɪnəl), adjective

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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 in Medicine

foramen

(fə-rā′mən)
n. pl. fo•ra•mens
  1. An aperture or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure.
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Related formsfo•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.
foramen in Science

foramen

[fə-rā′mən]
Plural foramina (fə-răm′ə-nə) foramens
  1. 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.