septum
Americannoun
noun
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biology anatomy a dividing partition between two tissues or cavities
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a dividing partition or membrane between two cavities in a mechanical device
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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:
Despite heavy bleeding and a deviated septum, Davies continued playing.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
Nathan Cohen, a 19-year-old college sophomore, had a septorhinoplasty in late December to fix a deviated septum and slightly alter the tip of his nose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
A masterfully executed tattoo-shop scene involves a ceiling fan, skull bobblehead and septum piercing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2025
Bolsonaro said he will undergo procedures to correct a hiatus hernia and a deviated septum.
From Reuters ● Sep. 11, 2023
His glasses were rimless at the bottom; his nose pierced at the septum.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
The fibers also lack internal walls called septa that often divide such tubes into cells.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 24, 2021
In most phyla of fungi, tiny holes in the septa allow for the rapid flow of nutrients and small molecules from cell to cell along the hypha.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
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
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
