Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fossa

/ˈfɑsə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.57 in modern English

Syllables: fos-sa
IPA: /ˈfɑsə/

8

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A pit, groove, cavity, or depression.

noun

A long, narrow, shallow depression on the body of an extraterrestrial body, such as a planet or moon.

noun

A large nocturnal reddish-brown catlike mammal (Cryptoprocta ferox) of the civet family, endemic to the rainforests of Madagascar. It is slender, long-tailed and has retractile claws and anal scent glands.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin fossa (“a ditch, trench, fosse”). Doublet of fosse.

Word Breakdown

Root: fosa

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈfɑsə/
British English: /ˈfɒsə/

Inflected Forms

fossae (plural) fossæ (obsolete, plural) fossas (plural)

Phrases

cerebral fossa pterygomaxillary fossa pyriform fossa sphenomaxillary fossa sphenopalatine fossa

Frequently Paired Words

fosse fossula fossulate fovea sinus fissure sulcus cleft

Synonyms

fossa cat cryptoprocta ferox pit

Rhymes With

ossa glossa medusa appaloosa

Questions

How do you pronounce fossa?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɑsə/.
What does fossa mean?: A pit, groove, cavity, or depression.
Where does fossa come from?: Unadapted borrowing from Latin fossa (“a ditch, trench, fosse”). Doublet of fosse.

How to pronounce fossa

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “fossa”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfɑsə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “fossa”.
Repeat and practice — Say “fossa” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.