Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

frenum

American  
[free-nuhm] / ˈfri nəm /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.
  • frena
    plural
  1. a fold of membrane that checks or restrains the motion of a part, such as the fold on the underside of the tongue.


frenum British  
/ ˈfriːnəm /

noun

  1. a variant spelling (esp US) of fraenum

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of frenum

First recorded in 1655–65; New Latin, from Latin fraenum, frēnum “bridle, restraint,” of disputed origin

Compare meaning

How does frenum compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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:

If my mother was not lying she should have cut more, scraped away the rest of the frenum skin, because I have a terrible time talking.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

I used to curl up my tongue in front of the mirror and tauten my frenum into a white line, itself as thin as a razor blade.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

Aetius, the first prominent Christian physician of whom we have any record, divided the frenum of the tongue.

From Psychotherapy by James J. (James Joseph) Walsh

On each side of the frenum, under the mucous membrane of the tip, are mucous glands—apical glands—in which cysts sometimes form.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles

It usually lies on one side of the frenum, and over it the mucous membrane moves freely.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles

The only food on hand for injured survivors was yogurt and sweet biscuits known locally as frena.

From Time Magazine Archive

The only instances I have found that are not from Ovid's didactic verse are the present passage and xii 23-24 'tu bonus hortator, tu duxque comesque fuisti, / cum regerem tenera frena nouella manu'.

From The Last Poems of Ovid by Mark Bear Akrigg

These cirripedes have no branchiae, the whole surface of the body and of the sack, together with the small frena, serving for respiration.

From The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, 6th Edition by Charles Darwin

The ovigerous frena of certain cirripedes, which have ceased to give attachment to the ova and are feebly developed, are nascent branchiae.

From The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, 6th Edition by Charles Darwin

At Tr V iv 15-16 Ovid had used frena recusare of a horse: 'fert tamen, ut debet, casus patienter amaros, / more nec indomiti frena recusat equi'.

From The Last Poems of Ovid by Mark Bear Akrigg

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com