foramen

[fuh-rey-muh n]

See more 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.

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

Related Words for foramen

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

Examples from the Web for foramen

Historical Examples of foramen

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.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2
Various
The chalaza is at the insertion or base, the foramen or orifice is at the apex.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray
Micropyle, answering to the Foramen or orifice of the ovule.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for foramen

foramen

noun plural -ramina (-ˈræmɪnə) or -ramens

a natural hole, esp one in a bone through which nerves and blood vessels pass

Derived Formsforaminal (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

Word Origin and History for foramen

plural foramina, 1670s, from Latin foramen "hole, opening, aperture, orifice," from forare "to pierce" (see bore (v.)).

foramen in Medicine

foramen

[fə-rā′mən]

n. pl. fo•ra•mens

An aperture or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure.

Related formsfo•ram′i•nal (-răm′ə-nəl) null adj.

foramen in Science

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′-).