A natural opening in a bone or other body structure, usually to allow the passage of nerves or blood vessels. For example, the foramen magnum is a hole in the base of the cranium through which the spinal cord passes.
The Latin term for a hole. It is especially applied to natural openings in bones, such as the foramen magnum, the large opening in the base of the skull through which the brain and spinal cord are continuous.
n. (pl. foramina) an opening or hole, particularly in a bone. The apical foramen is the small opening at the apex of a tooth. The foramen magnum is a large hole in the occipital bone through which the spinal cord passes. The foramen ovale is the opening between the two atria of the fetal heart, which allows blood to flow from the right to the left side of the heart by displacing a membranous valve.
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