SPHENOID BONE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sphenoid bone mean? 

• SPHENOID BONE (noun)
  The noun SPHENOID BONE has 1 sense:

1. butterfly-shaped bone at the base of the skull

  Familiarity information: SPHENOID BONE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPHENOID BONE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Butterfly-shaped bone at the base of the skull

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

os sphenoidale; sphenoid; sphenoid bone

Hypernyms ("sphenoid bone" is a kind of...):

bone; os (rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates)

Meronyms (parts of "sphenoid bone"):

crotaphion (the tip of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone)

pterygoid process (two bony processes descending from the body of the sphenoid bone)

Holonyms ("sphenoid bone" is a part of...):

skull (the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates)

 Context examples 

An irregularly shaped venous space in the dura mater at either side of the sphenoid bone.

(Cavernous Sinus, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)