FONTANEL • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Fontanel

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noun

Fontanel n.

(Med.) An issue or artificial ulcer for the discharge of humors from the body.(Obs.)

(Anat.) One of the membranous intervals between the incompleted angles of the parietal and neighboring bones of a fetal or young skull; so called because it exhibits a rhythmical pulsation. Note: In the human fetus there are six fontanels, of which the anterior, or bregmatic, situated at the junction of the coronal and sagittal sutures, is much the largest, and remains open a considerable time after birth.

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Etymology of 'Fontanel'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Fontanel" Quotes from Famous Books

... disappears in a few days. As a rule, the large bones of the head are felt to be separated by membranous ridges called sutures; there is one on the median line on the top of the head, and at either end of the suture is a large open space, called a fontanel. The largest one is at the front of the head, and is called the anterior fontanel; it is about large enough to be covered by the tips of two fingers, and is of a lozenge shape; this opening does not close till the child is about eighteen months old. In a healthy baby ...

— The Four Epochs of Woman's Life • Anna M. Galbraith