fossa
1[ fos-uh ]
/ ˈfɒs ə /
noun, plural fos·sae [fos-ee] /ˈfɒs i/. Anatomy.
a pit, cavity, or depression, as in a bone.
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Origin of fossa
11820–30; < 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
Words nearby fossa
Definition for fossae (2 of 2)
fossa2
[ fos-uh ]
/ ˈfɒs ə /
noun
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.
Also called fossa cat.
Origin of fossa
21830–40; < Malagasy; compare earlier fossane (< French < Malagasy)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for fossae
On the cranial surface of the pinna elevations correspond to the concha and to the fossae 792 of the helix and antihelix.
These fossae and all the cranium posterior to them are missing.
American Weasels|E. Raymond HallThe distance between the temporal ridges about four-fifths the width of the cranium at the fossae.
Extinct Birds|Walter Rothschild
British Dictionary definitions for fossae (1 of 2)
fossa1
/ (ˈfɒsə) /
noun plural -sae (-siː)
an anatomical depression, trench, or hollow area
Word Origin for fossa
C19: from Latin: ditch, from fossus dug up, from fodere to dig up
British Dictionary definitions for fossae (2 of 2)
fossa2
/ (ˈfɒsə) /
noun
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
Word Origin for fossa
from Malagasy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for fossae
fossa
[ fŏs′ə ]
n. pl. fos•sae (fŏs′ē′)
A small longitudinal cavity or depression, as in a bone.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.