Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

foramen

/fəˈɹeɪ.mən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.43 in modern English

Syllables: fora-men
IPA: /fəˈɹeɪ.mən/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An opening, an orifice, or a short passage, especially in a bone.

Example Sentences

"The skull contains a number of foramina through which arteries, veins, nerves, and other structures enter and exit."
"There is — as I have explained — a slight want of alignment in the cervical vertebrae which has, as I perceive it, the effect of lessening the foramina through which the nerve roots emerge."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin forāmen (“aperture or opening produced by boring”), from forō (“to pierce or bore”) + -men (nominal suffix).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: forāmen

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /fəˈɹeɪ.mən/
British English: /fəˈɹeɪ.mɛn/

Inflected Forms

foramina (plural) foramens (plural)

Derived Forms

foraminal foraminate foraminous

Phrases

foramen magnum foramen spinosum infraorbital foramen jugular foramen mental foramen obturator foramen optic foramen stylomastoid foramen

Frequently Paired Words

meatus

Synonyms

hiatus

Rhymes With

damon shaman cayman raman layman heyman laymen hayman zaman xiamen haman rayman

Questions

How do you pronounce foramen?: The recorded pronunciation is /fəˈɹeɪ.mən/.
What does foramen mean?: An opening, an orifice, or a short passage, especially in a bone.
Where does foramen come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce foramen

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