Definition

Noun: * A small, fragile, and often fingernail-shaped bone located at the front part of the inner wall (medial wall) of each eye socket (orbit). It contributes to the formation of the orbit and contains a groove or canal that houses the lacrimal sac, providing a passageway for tears (lacrimal fluid) from the eye to the nasal cavity.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The surgeon carefully examined the CT scan to assess the fracture in the patient's lacrimal bone.
  • A direct impact to the inner corner of the eye can easily fracture the delicate lacrimal bone.
  • The lacrimal bone is one of the smallest and most fragile bones in the human skull.

Advanced Usage

• Anatomical Context: The term is almost exclusively used in medical, anatomical, and forensic contexts. It is rarely used in everyday conversation.
• "Lacrimal" as a Root: The word "lacrimal" itself is an adjective relating to tears or the tear-producing glands and ducts (from Latin , meaning "tear"). The bone is named for its association with the lacrimal apparatus.

Variants and Related Words

• Lacrimal (adj.): Pertaining to tears or the tear ducts.
  • The lacrimal gland produces tears.
• Lacrimal Sac (n.): The small pouch at the upper end of the nasolacrimal duct that collects tears.
• Nasolacrimal Duct (n.): The duct that drains tears from the lacrimal sac into the nasal cavity.

Synonyms

• Tear bone (This is a very rare, non-technical descriptive synonym and is not standard in medical terminology).

Related Phrases / Compound Terms

• Lacrimal bone fracture: A break in the lacrimal bone, often resulting from facial trauma.
• Lacrimal fossa: The depression in the lacrimal bone that houses the lacrimal sac.

Noun

1. small fragile bone making up part of the front inner walls of each eye socket and providing room for the passage of the lacrimal ducts