- fovea
- Any natural depression on the surface of the body, such as the axilla, or on the surface of a bone. Cf.:dimple. SYN: pit (1). [L. a pit]- f. cardiaca anterior intestinal portal; the opening of the foregut into the midgut. SEE ALSO: epigastric fossa. SYN: anterior intestinal portal.- central retinal f. [TA] a depression in the center of the macula retinae containing only cones and lacking blood vessel s. SYN: f. centralis maculae luteae [TA], central pit.- f. elliptica SYN: elliptical recess of bony labyrinth.- f. femoralis SYN: femoral fossa.- f. hemielliptica SYN: elliptical recess of bony labyrinth.- inferior f. [TA] a small depression in the limiting sulcus of the rhomboidal fossa below the medullary striae of either side, generally lateral to the hypoglossal and vagal trigones. SYN: f. inferior [TA].- f. for ligament of head of femur [TA] a depression on the extremity of the head of the femur giving attachment to the ligamentum teres femoris. SYN: f. capitis femoris [TA], f. of the femoral head, pit of head of femur.- oblong f. of arytenoid cartilage [TA] a broad shallow depression on the anterolateral surface of the arytenoid cartilage, for attachment of the thyroarytenoid muscle. SYN: f. oblonga cartilaginis arytenoideae [TA], oblong pit of arytenoid cartilage.- pterygoid f. [TA] a depression on the antero-medial side of the neck of the condylar process of the mandible, giving attachment to the lateral pterygoid muscle. SYN: f. pterygoidea [TA], pterygoid depression, pterygoid pit.- f. pterygoidea [TA] SYN: pterygoid f..- f. sublingualis [TA] SYN: sublingual fossa.- f. submandibularis [TA] SYN: submandibular fossa.- f. submaxillaris SYN: submandibular fossa.- superior f. [TA] a slight depression in the limiting sulcus on either side of the rhomboidal fossa, above the medullary striae and lateral to the facial colliculus. SYN: f. superior [TA], anterior f., f. anterior.- f. supravesicalis SYN: supravesical fossa.- triangular f. of arytenoid cartilage [TA] a deep depression in the upper portion of the anterolateral surface of the arytenoid cartilage, lodging glands. SYN: f. triangularis cartilaginis arytenoideae [TA], triangular pit of arytenoid cartilage.- trochlear f. [TA] a shallow depression in the roof of the orbit close to the medial margin to which is attached the pulley for the superior oblique tendon. SYN: f. trochlearis [TA], fossa trochlearis, trochlear fossa, trochlear pit.- f. trochlearis [TA] SYN: trochlear f..
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1) a small fossa2) a small rodless area of the retina that affords acute visionfo·ve·al -vē-əl adjfo·ve·ate -vē-.āt, -ət adj* * *
n.(in anatomy) a small depression, especially the shallow pit in the retina at the back of the eye. It contains a large number of cone and is therefore the area of greatest acuity of vision: when the eye is directed at an object, the part of the image that is focused on the fovea is the part that is most accurately registered by the brain. See also macula.* * *
fo·vea (foґve-ə) gen. and pl. foґveae [L. “a pitâ€] 1. a small pit or depression in the surface of a structure or organ. 2. f. centralis retinae.
Medical dictionary. 2011.
