foramen
Americannoun
noun
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
A patent foramen ovale - or PFO - which is a small hole between the top two chambers of the heart.
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2025
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 ● Nov. 29, 2023
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 ● Aug. 24, 2022
Near the middle of this margin, is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
The supra-orbital foramen, which does not exist in carnivora, occupies in the horse the base of the orbital process.
From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by Cuyer, ?douard
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 ● Mar. 29, 2023
The interventricular foramina connect the frontal region of the lateral ventricles with the third ventricle.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Openings here include the large foramen magnum, plus the internal acoustic meatus, jugular foramina, and hypoglossal canals.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
The sacrospinous and sacrotuberous ligaments contribute to the formation of the greater and lesser sciatic foramina.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
The anterior spine of the palatine approaches the posterior projection of the premaxillae more closely as age increases and, in the oldest vole is firmly attached and forms a complete partition separating the incisive foramina.
From A Population Study of the Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster) in Northeastern Kansas by Martin, Edwin P.
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.
