Sphenoid

//ˈsfiː.nɔɪd// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The sphenoid bone.
  2. 2
    butterfly-shaped bone at the base of the skull wordnet
  3. 3
    A wedge-shaped crystal bounded by four equal isosceles triangles; the hemihedral form of a square pyramid.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Having a wedge shape. not-comparable
  2. 2
    Of or relating to the sphenoid bone which forms the base of the cranium, behind the eye and below the front part of the brain. It has two pairs of broad lateral ‘wings’ and a number of other projections, and contains two air-filled sinuses. not-comparable

Synonyms

All synonyms
boneos sphenoidalesphenoid bonesphenoid bonesphenoidal

Etymology

From New Latin sphenoides, from Ancient Greek σφηνοειδής (sphēnoeidḗs, “wedge-shaped”), from σφήν (sphḗn, “wedge”) + -ειδής (-eidḗs, “-form, -like”).

Related phrases

sphenoid bonesphenoid sinussphenoidal sinusisosceles trianglesphenoid bonesquare pyramid

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.