odontoid process

noun

1. anatomy the toothlike upward projection at the back of the second vertebra of the neck

Example Sentences

It turned out that he had fractured his odontoid process--a little thumb of bone that sticks up from the second cervical vertebra.

From Golf Digest

The odontoid process of the axis is wide, flat, and hollowed above, as in the ruminants.

From Project Gutenberg

The odontoid process of the second vertebra is pig-like: and the tibia and fibula and radius and ulna are severally distinct.

From Project Gutenberg

The odontoid process of the second cervical vertebra, when that bone is free, is usually very obtuse, or even obsolete.

From Project Gutenberg

When this occurs suddenly, the odontoid process may impinge on the medulla and upper part of the cord and cause sudden death.

From Project Gutenberg