frenum

American  

[free-nuhm] / ˈfri nəm /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

plural

frena

1. a fold of membrane that checks or restrains the motion of a part, such as the fold on the underside of the tongue.

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frenum British  

/ ˈfriːnəm /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of fraenum

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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:

• frenum vs. frenulum

Example Sentences

When I was 9, a small-town dentist decided that I had a space between my teeth because the frenum — the soft tissue connecting the lips and gums — had grown in the way, so he cut it out.

From New York Times

"I had to remove one where the person swished them around in their mouth and they ended up on each side of the lingual frenum—the fleshy piece of tissue underneath our tongue," Kaplan said.

From Salon

I forgot to close my mouth and ripped my frenum but no real damage.

From New York Times

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 Literature

“I cut it so that you would not be tongue-tied. Your tongue would be able to move in any language. You’ll be able to speak languages that are completely different from one another. You’ll be able to pronounce anything. Your frenum looked too tight to do those things, so I cut it.”

From Literature