1. A small opening or hole, especially in a bone or anatomical structure.
Usage: anatomy; plural: foramina or foramens

Examples

• The foramen magnum is the large opening at the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes.
• Blood vessels pass through the foramen in the vertebrae.
• The intervertebral foramen allows nerves to exit the spinal canal.
• Anatomists identified several small foramina in the temporal bone.
• The foramen ovale in the fetal heart normally closes after birth.