Sphenoid bone

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Bone: Sphenoid bone
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Cranial Bones. Only the end of the wing of the sphenoid bone is visible
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Sphenoid bone, upper surface.
Latin os sphenoidale

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 Media

Notes

  1. According to most dictionaries, the word sphenoid (/ˈsfnɔɪd/[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

  1. OED 2nd edition, 1989.
  2. Entry "sphenoid" in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
  3. Thieme Atlas of Anatomy, Head and Neuroanatomy 2011
  4. Chaurasia (31 January 2013). Human Anatomy Volume Three. CBS Publishers & Distributors. pp. 43–45. ISBN 978-81-239-2332-1.