fossa

[ fos-uh ]

/ ˈfɒs ə /

noun, plural fos·sae [fos-ee] /ˈfɒs i/. Anatomy.

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

Words nearby fossa

foscolo, fosdick, foshan, fosphenytoin, foss, fossa, fossa of lacrimal gland, fossa of vestibule of vagina, fossarian, fosse, fosse way

Origin of fossa

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

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.

Origin of fossa

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

Also called fossa cat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 9|Various
These fossae and all the cranium posterior to them are missing.
American Weasels|E. Raymond Hall
The 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for fossae

fossa

[ fŏs′ə ]

n. pl. fos•sae (fŏs′ē′)

A small longitudinal cavity or depression, as in a bone.