Ethmoidal
/ɛθˈmɔɪdəl/noun
Relating to the ethmoid bone, a bone in the skull between the eyes.
Did you know?Ethmoidal comes from Greek *ethmos*, “sieve,” because the ethmoid bone has a perforated, sieve-like structure that ancient anatomists noticed and named directly.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἠθμός (ēthmós)
“sieve; strainer”
Late Latin
Latin
ethmoidēs
“sieve-like”
Middle English
English
ethmoidal
“relating to the ethmoid bone”
Modern English
English
ethmoidal
“pertaining to the ethmoid bone”