lacrimal bone
Học thuậtThân thiện
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
- 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