Sphenoid bone
unpaired bone situated at the front middle of the skull in front of the temporal bone and basilar part of the occipital bone
The sphenoid bone[note 1] is an unpaired bone of the neurocranium. It is in the middle of the skull towards the front.
| Sphenoid bone | |
|---|---|
 Cranial Bones. Only the end of the wing of the sphenoid bone is visible | |
 Sphenoid bone, upper surface. | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | os sphenoidale |
| MeSH | D013100 |
| TA | A02.1.05.001 |
| FMA | 52736 |
| Anatomical terms of bone | |
Notes
change- ↑ According to most dictionaries, the word sphenoid (/ˈsfiːnɔɪd/[1][2] derives from Greek sphenoeides, "wedgelike". Thieme Atlas of Anatomy[3] disagrees and says that the sphenoid bone was originally called os sphecoidale, meaning "bone resembling a wasp", and that the word was later written 'sphenoidale' by a transcription error. An anterior view of the bone resembles more the body of a wasp or a bat[4] with wings than a wedge.
References
change- ↑ OED 2nd edition, 1989.
- ↑ Entry "sphenoid" in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
- ↑ Thieme Atlas of Anatomy, Head and Neuroanatomy 2011
- ↑ Chaurasia (31 January 2013). Human Anatomy Volume Three. CBS Publishers & Distributors. pp. 43–45. ISBN 978-81-239-2332-1.
