Adjacent Words

fossa definitions

	Tweet

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a concavity in a surface (especially an anatomical depression) [syn: pit, fossa]
2: monotypic genus of Madagascar civets closely related to palm civets [syn: Fossa, genus Fossa]
3: largest carnivore of Madagascar; intermediate in some respects between cats and civets [syn: fossa, fossa cat, Cryptoprocta ferox]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural fossae) Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, ditch Date: 1733 an anatomical pit, groove, or depression II. noun Etymology: Malagasy Date: 1838 a slender lithe carnivorous mammal (Cryptoprocta ferox) of Madagascar that resembles a cat especially in having retractile claws but is usually considered a viverrid

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. fossae) Anat. a shallow depression or cavity. Etymology: L, = ditch, fem. past part. of fodere dig

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fossa Fos"sa, n.; pl. Foss[AE]. [L., a ditch. See Fosse.] (Anat.) A pit, groove, cavity, or depression, of greater or less depth; as, the temporal fossa on the side of the skull; the nasal foss[ae] containing the nostrils in most birds.