fossa

¹ American  

[fos-uh] / ˈfɒs ə /

noun

Anatomy.

• fossae
  plural

1. a pit, cavity, or depression, as in a bone.

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fossa ² American  

[fos-uh] / ˈfɒs ə /

noun

1. a forest-dwelling genetlike mammal, Cryptoprocta ferox, of the civet family, native to Madagascar, with a short coat of white, black, gray, or brown: now rare.

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fossa ¹ British  

/ ˈfɒsə /

noun

1. an anatomical depression, trench, or hollow area

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fossa ² British  

/ ˈfɒsə /

noun

1. a large primitive catlike viverrine mammal, Cryptoprocta ferox , inhabiting the forests of Madagascar: order Carnivora (carnivores). It has thick reddish-brown fur and preys on lemurs, poultry, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fossae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fossa¹

1820–30; < Latin: ditch, trench, fosse, short for fossa ( terra ) dug or dug out (earth), noun use of feminine of fossus, past participle of fodere to dig

Origin of fossa²

1830–40; < Malagasy; compare earlier fossane (< French < Malagasy)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fossa fossae

It is home to wildlife such as ring-tailed lemurs, the long-tailed cat, the fossa, spiny hedgehog-like mammals called tenrecs and nocturnal primates known as aye-ayes.

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2023

Posteriorly, the medial and lateral condyles are separated by a deep depression called the intercondylar fossa.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

A small area of the ethmoid bone, consisting of the crista galli and cribriform plates, is located at the midline of this fossa.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Similarly, the posterior humerus has the olecranon fossa, a larger depression that receives the olecranon process of the ulna when the forearm is fully extended.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

It is bent upon itself at the level of its lateral portions so as to occupy the temporal fossa.

From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by ?douard Cuyer

The lesser wings of the sphenoid bone form the prominent ledge that marks the boundary between the anterior and middle cranial fossae.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

From anterior to posterior, the fossae increase in depth.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

All of these fossae provide large surface areas for the attachment of muscles that cross the shoulder joint to act on the humerus.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

In, err, long… muscles – particularly big, strong muscles like those involved in any hypothetical trunk – leave visible attachment sites, such as crests, scars, or fossae.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 20, 2012

There are no post-orbital processes to the frontals or any other demarcation between the orbits and the temporal fossae.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various