foramen magnum

[ mag-nuh m ]
/ ˈmæg nəm /

noun Anatomy.

the large opening in the base of the skull forming the passage from the cranial cavity to the spinal canal.

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Origin of foramen magnum

1880–85; < New Latin: literally, great hole

Words nearby foramen magnum

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

British Dictionary definitions for foramen magnum

foramen magnum

noun

the large opening at the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes

Word Origin for foramen magnum

New Latin: large hole
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 magnum

foramen magnum
[ măg′nəm ]

n.

great foramen
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.