foramen [fuh-rey-muh n] ExamplesWord Origin noun, plural fo·ram·i·na [fuh-ram-uh-nuh] /fəˈræm ə nə/.
- an opening, orifice, or short passage, as in a bone or in the integument of the ovule of a plant.
Origin of foramen 1665–75; Latin forāmen hole, opening, equivalent to forā(re) to bore2 “pierce” + -men resultative noun suffixRelated formsfo·ram·i·nal [fuh-ram-uh-nl] /fəˈræm ə nl/, adjective Related Words for foramina dent, tunnel, void, crater, pocket, window, gap, pit, break, cut, space, mouth, crack, orifice, opening, vesicle, outlet, foramen, stoma, vent Examples from the Web for foramina Historical Examples of foramina
In these vertebræ the inferior ridges are also pierced by foramina.
The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphidae
Frederick True
Their number may be reckoned from the number of foramina for the exit of spinal nerves.
Sidney H. Reynolds
It is from these pores (or foramina) that the group receives its name.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, September 1879
Various
It is not possible to establish what part of the median septum between the foramina is made up of premaxillary bones.
Edwin C. Galbreath
Collectively, this complex of foramina is often known as the posterior palatine foramina.
Edwin C. Galbreath
British Dictionary definitions for foramina foramen noun plural -ramina (-ˈræmɪnə) or -ramens
- a natural hole, esp one in a bone through which nerves and blood vessels pass
Derived Formsforaminal (fɒˈræmɪnəl), adjectiveWord Origin for foramen C17: from Latin, from forāre to bore, pierce Word Origin and History for foramina foramen n.
plural foramina, 1670s, from Latin foramen “hole, opening, aperture, orifice,” from forare “to pierce” (see bore (v.)).
foramina in Medicine foramina [fə-răm′ə-nə] n.
- A plural offoramen
foramen [fə-rā′mən] n. pl. fo•ra•mens
- An aperture or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure.
Related formsfo•ram′i•nal (-răm′ə-nəl) null adj. foramina in Science foramen [fə-rā′mən] Plural foramina (fə-răm′ə-nə) foramens
- An opening or short passage, especially in the body.♦ The large opening in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes is called the foramen magnum (măg′nəm).♦ The opening in the septum between the right and left atria of the heart, present in the fetus but usually closed soon after birth, is the foramen ovale (ō-văl′ē, -vā′lē, -vä′-).