foramen
noun
fo·ra·men
fə-ˈrā-mən 
plural foramina
fə-ˈra-mə-nə
or foramens
fə-ˈrā-mənz
or foramens
fə-ˈrā-mənz
: a small opening, perforation, or orifice : fenestra
Examples of foramen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This posture maximizes the narrowing of the nerve-root opening, known as a foramen.
—
H Lee Kagan, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2015
Seymour found that in terms of foramen size, monitor lizards clustered with mammals.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2011
Nonetheless, with a bit more data, the size of the foramen could be an easy way of assessing the lifestyle of an animal by doing little more than measuring a hole in its bone.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2011
One such trait is the form of an opening on the tongue side of the lower jaw (mandible) called the mandibular foramen.
—David W. Frayer, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2022
In most Neandertals, the opening is covered by a bar of bone and is called a horizontal-oval (H-O) foramen.
—David W. Frayer, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2022
In modern humans, the upper portion of the foramen is commonly V-shaped.
—David W. Frayer, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2022
Another view of the monitor lizard skull fossil fragment, on which both the parietal and pineal foramina are visible (in yellow).
—Amina Khan, latimes.com, 3 Apr. 2018
H Lee Kagan, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2015
Seymour found that in terms of foramen size, monitor lizards clustered with mammals.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2011
Nonetheless, with a bit more data, the size of the foramen could be an easy way of assessing the lifestyle of an animal by doing little more than measuring a hole in its bone.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2011
One such trait is the form of an opening on the tongue side of the lower jaw (mandible) called the mandibular foramen.
—David W. Frayer, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2022
In most Neandertals, the opening is covered by a bar of bone and is called a horizontal-oval (H-O) foramen.
—David W. Frayer, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2022
In modern humans, the upper portion of the foramen is commonly V-shaped.
—David W. Frayer, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2022
Another view of the monitor lizard skull fossil fragment, on which both the parietal and pineal foramina are visible (in yellow).
—Amina Khan, latimes.com, 3 Apr. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foramen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Foramen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foramen. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
foramen
noun
fo·ra·men
fə-ˈrā-mən
plural foramina
-ˈram-ə-nə
or foramens
-ˈrā-mənz
or foramens
-ˈrā-mənz
: a small opening, perforation, or orifice : fenestra sense 1
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