ostium

noun

os·​ti·​um ˈä-stē-əm 

plural ostia ˈä-stē-ə 

: a mouthlike opening in a bodily part (such as a fallopian tube or a blood vessel)

Examples of ostium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Surgical treatment of a fungus ball consists in opening the infected sinus cavity at the level of its ostium and removing fungal concretions while sparing the normal mucosa. —Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 9 Jan. 2017

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, door, mouth of a river; akin to Latin os mouth — more at oral

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

ostium

noun

os·​ti·​um ˈäs-tē-əm 

plural ostia -tē-ə 

: a mouthlike opening in a bodily part (as a fallopian tube or a blood vessel)

stenosis of coronary ostia

—R. L. Cecil & R. F. Loeb