SPHENOID

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sphenoid mean? 

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

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

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

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPHENOID (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" is a kind of...):

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

Meronyms (parts of "sphenoid"):

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" is a part of...):

skull (the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates)

 Context examples 

Inflammation of the sphenoid sinus that typically lasts beyond eight weeks.

(Chronic Sphenoidal Sinusitis, NCI Thesaurus)

A non-metastasizing neoplasm that arises from the sphenoid sinus.

(Benign Sphenoid Sinus Neoplasm, NCI Thesaurus)

Abnormal increase in the interorbital distance due to overdevelopment of the lesser wings of the sphenoid.

(Hypertelorism, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

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

(Cavernous Sinus, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Paranasal sinuses are named after the bones that contain them: frontal (the lower forehead), maxillary (cheekbones), ethmoid (beside the upper nose), and sphenoid (behind the nose).

(Paranasal sinus, NCI Dictionary)

There are four paranasal sinuses on each side of the face: ethmoid, frontal, maxillary, and sphenoid sinus.

(Paranasal sinus, NCI Thesaurus)

An irregularly shaped bone positioned at the back part of the nasal cavity between the maxilla and the pterygoid process of the sphenoid.

(Palatine Bone, NCI Thesaurus)

A squamous cell carcinoma that arises from the mucosal epithelial surface of the ethmoid, frontal, maxillary, or sphenoid sinus.

(Paranasal Sinus Squamous Cell Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Air-filled extensions of the respiratory part of the nasal cavity into the frontal, ethmoid, sphenoid, and maxillary cranial bones.

(Paranasal sinus, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Less frequently, it arises from the nasal cavity, ethmoid sinus, sphenoid sinus, and frontal sinus.

(Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Squamous Cell Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)