fossette

fossette [fo-set, faw-] ExamplesWord Origin noun

1. a small hollow or depression, as in a bivalve shell; dimple.
2. Pathology. a small, deep corneal ulcer.

Origin of fossette 1840–50; French: dimple, small cavity. See fosse, -ette Examples from the Web for fossette Historical Examples of fossette

There is occasionally a saucer-shaped plate or platform just under the cardinal teeth and within the shell, called the fossette.

The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide

Augusta Foote Arnold

However, the fossette itself is shallow and soon disappears with slight wear.

Evolution and Classification of the Pocket Gophers of the Subfamily Geomyinae

Robert J. Russell

British Dictionary definitions for fossette fossette noun

1. anatomy a small depression or fossa, as in a bone
2. pathol a small deep ulcer of the cornea

Word Origin for fossette C19: from French: dimple, from fosse ditch fossette in Medicine fossette [fŏ-sĕt′] n.

1. A small depression; a dimple.
2. A small deep ulcer of the cornea.