sphenoid
Americanadjective
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being in the shape of a wedge; wedge-shaped.
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Anatomy. of or relating to the compound bone of the base of the skull, at the roof of the pharynx.
noun
adjective
-
wedge-shaped
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of or relating to the sphenoid bone
noun
Other Word Forms
- postsphenoid adjective
- presphenoid adjective
- subsphenoid adjective
- subsphenoidal adjective
- supersphenoid adjective
- supersphenoidal adjective
Etymology
Origin of sphenoid
1725–35; < New Latin sphēnoīdēs < Greek sphēnoeidḗs. See sphen-, -oid
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I watched mine perform a complicated skull-based surgery — the removal of a sphenoid meningioma.
From Salon • Nov. 20, 2022
The pituitary gland, sometimes called the hypophysis or “master gland” is located at the base of the brain in the sella turcica, a groove of the sphenoid bone of the skull, illustrated in Figure 28.15.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
The greater wings of the sphenoid bone extend laterally to either side away from the sella turcica, where they form the anterior floor of the middle cranial fossa.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
The brain case is formed by eight bones, the paired parietal and temporal bones plus the unpaired frontal, occipital, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
"Then perhaps you can tell me what the structures are which pass through the foramina of the sphenoid?"
From The Firm of Girdlestone by Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.