ISTHMUS (isthmi)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: isthmi   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does isthmus mean? 

• ISTHMUS (noun)
  The noun ISTHMUS has 2 senses:

1. a relatively narrow strip of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas

2. a cord-like tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical structure

  Familiarity information: ISTHMUS used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ISTHMUS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A relatively narrow strip of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("isthmus" is a kind of...):

dry land; earth; ground; land; solid ground; terra firma (the solid part of the earth's surface)

Instance hyponyms:

Central America (the isthmus joining North America and South America; extends from the southern border of Mexico to the northern border of Colombia)

Isthmus of Corinth (a narrow isthmus between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf; a canal crosses the isthmus so that navigation is possible between the gulfs)

Isthmus of Kra (a narrow isthmus linking the Malay Peninsula to the Asian mainland)

Isthmus of Darien; Isthmus of Panama (the isthmus that connects Central America and South America; was formerly called the Isthmus of Darien)

Isthmus of Suez (the isthmus in northeastern Egypt that connects Africa and Asia)

Isthmus of Tehuantepec (the narrowest part of southern Mexico is an isthmus between the Bay of Campeche on the north coast and the Gulf of Tehuantepec on the south coast)

Karelian Isthmus (the isthmus between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga that connects Finland and Russia)

Derivation:

isthmian (of or relating to or forming an isthmus)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A cord-like tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical structure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

band; isthmus

Hypernyms ("isthmus" is a kind of...):

tissue (part of an organism consisting of an aggregate of cells having a similar structure and function)

 Context examples 

The Corpus uteri, or body of uterus, is the part of the uterus above the isthmus, comprising about two thirds of the non-pregnant organ.

(Corpus Uteri, NCI Thesaurus)

An irregularly shaped cavity in the rhombencephalon, between the medulla oblongata, the pons, and the isthmus in front, and the cerebellum behind.

(Fourth Ventricle, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

They extend from the horn of the uterus to the ovaries and consist of an ampulla, an infundibulum, an isthmus, two ostia, and a pars uterina.

(Murine Fallopian Tube, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A highly vascular endocrine gland consisting of two lobes, one on either side of the trachea, joined by a narrow isthmus; it produces the thyroid hormones which are concerned in regulating the metabolic rate of the body.

(Murine Thyroid, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)