ostium

[ os-tee-uhm ]

/ ˈɒs ti əm /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ostium

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

Words nearby ostium

Österreich, Ostia, ostiary, ostinato, ostiole, ostium, ostler, ostmark, ostomy, ostosis, Ostpolitik

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ostium in a sentence

Unlike an explosive human sneeze, the sponges slowly and continuously secreted debris-laden mucus from their ostia, with one contraction taking between 20 and 50 minutes, the study finds.
Sea sponges launch slow-motion snot rockets to clean their pores|Jude Coleman|August 10, 2022|Science News
This will bring the anterior wall of the sinus with its ostium into view.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
Aurelius had gone out into the ostium, which was still being shaken with the blows at the door.
Quintus Claudius, Volume 2 of 2|Ernst Eckstein
In acute cases of salpingitis the cœlomic ostium is open and the infective material can be seen leaking from it (Fig. 3).
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various

The really favouring factor in the case is the condition of the cœlomic ostium of the tube.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
The contents of the cavity generally make their way through the natural ostium, before any of the bony walls give way.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ostium

ostium

/ (ˈɒstɪəm) /

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