Ostia

[os-tee-uh; Italian aw-styah]

noun

a town in central Italy, SW of Rome: ruins from 4th century b.c.; site of ancient port of Rome.

ostium

[os-tee-uh m]

noun, plural os·ti·a [os-tee-uh] /ˈɒs ti ə/.

Anatomy, Zoology. a small opening or orifice, as at the end of the oviduct.

Zoology. one of the tiny holes in the body of a sponge.

Origin of ostium

First recorded in 1655–65, ostium is from the Latin word ōstium entrance, river mouth

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

Examples from the Web for ostia

Like many discoveries, the new part of Ostia Antica was found by accident.
Why Italy’s Lost City May Never Be Found|Barbie Latza Nadeau|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the third day after the tumult, Genseric boldly advanced from the port of Ostia to the gates of the defenceless city.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire|Edward Gibbon
In the first ship which sails from Ostia for any port of Greece, in that ship you may depart.
Continental Monthly , Vol. 6, No. 1, July, 1864|Various
There is abundant evidence that all through the second century of our ra great architectural works were carried on at Ostia.
Studies of Travel: Italy|Edward A. Freeman

They safely reached the spot on the road to Ostia, where the chariots awaited them.
Quintus Claudius, Volume 1 of 2|Ernst Eckstein
It was not till long after Ostia had arisen that inland Athens yoked herself to the sea.
Studies of Travel: Italy|Edward A. Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for ostia

Ostia

noun

an ancient town in W central Italy, originally at the mouth of the Tiber but now about 6 km (4 miles) inland: served as the port of ancient Rome; harbours built by Claudius and Trajan; ruins excavated since 1854

ostium

noun plural -tia (-tɪə) biology

any of the pores in sponges through which water enters the body

any of the openings in the heart of an arthropod through which blood enters

any similar opening

Word Origin for ostium

C17: from Latin: door, entrance

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 ostia

ostium

[ŏs′tē-əm]

n. pl. os•ti•a (-tē-ə)

A small opening or orifice, as in a body organ.

Related formsos′ti•al adj.