septum

American  

[sep-tuhm] / ˈsɛp təm /

noun

Biology.

• septa
  plural

1. a dividing wall, membrane, or the like, in a plant or animal structure; dissepiment.

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septum British  

/ ˈsɛptəm /

noun

1. biology anatomy a dividing partition between two tissues or cavities

2. a dividing partition or membrane between two cavities in a mechanical device

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septum Scientific  

/ sĕp′təm /

• septa
  plural

1. A thin wall or membrane that separates two parts or structures in an organism. Septae separate the chambers of the heart and subdivide the hyphae of some fungi.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• septa
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of septum

1710–20; < Latin sēptum, variant of saeptum enclosure, noun use of neuter of saeptus (past participle of saepīre to fence); akin to saepēs hedge, fence

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

septum septa

She has a few roommates in a small house in an artsy east side neighborhood, where her detergent-blue ombré haircut and spiked septum piercing are de rigueur.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

A hefty Moche nose ornament of gold and silver would have been quite the weight to carry from one’s septum, especially with the intricately intertwined creatures that wrap around its edge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

My own lab has shown this year that GLP-1 drugs reduce a type of activity in the lateral septum that may prevent it communicating so effectively with other brain regions.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

In the week before the implant-removal operation at Guy's Hospital in London, she said her septum "came apart" and would not stop bleeding.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026

When my doctor told me that I had a really bad deviated septum, it seemed like a good excuse to go under the knife.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

The fibers also lack internal walls called septa that often divide such tubes into cells.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 24, 2021

This cavity is divided into several chambers by longitudinal septa called mesenteries.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

They took cartilage cells from the patients’ nasal septa, grew them on a collagen membrane, shaped them according to the needs of the patient, and implanted the tissue back into the nose.

From Forbes ● Apr. 12, 2014

Not only does the tunica albuginea cover the outside of the testis, it also invaginates to form septa that divide the testis into 300 to 400 structures called lobules.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

But the septa could not have known that today's court would be anything but the usual tedious business of hearing petitions, settling disputes between rival holdfasts, and adjudicating the placement of boundary stones.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

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