fossa
1 Americannoun
-
fossae
plural
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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:
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
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
With the mouth closed, the mandibular condyle and articular disc are located within the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
The tendons of these muscles form the popliteal fossa, the diamond-shaped space at the back of the knee.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
The meteorism is usually preceded and accompanied by gurgling and tenderness on pressure in the right iliac fossa.
From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various
The floor of the cranial cavity increases in depth from front to back and is divided into three cranial fossae.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Posteriorly, the spine separates the supraspinous and infraspinous fossae, and then extends laterally as the acromion.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
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
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
Consequently, it is not surprising to find a relatively weak muscle mass in the jaw of doves, and because the musculature is weak there are few pronounced osseous fossae, cristae and tubercles.
From Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged Doves by Robert L. Merz
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