| Sphenoid bone | |
|---|---|
 Position of the sphenoid bone | |
 Animation of the sphenoid bone | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | os sphenoidale |
| MeSH | D013100 |
| TA98 | A02.1.05.001 |
| TA2 | 584 |
| FMA | 52736 |
| Anatomical terms of bone | |
The sphenoid bone[note 1] is an unpaired bone of the neurocranium. It is situated in the middle of the skull towards the front, in front of the basilar part of the occipital bone. The sphenoid bone is one of the seven bones that articulate to form the orbit. Its shape somewhat resembles that of a butterfly, bat or wasp with its wings extended. The name presumably originates from this shape, since sphekodes (σφηκώδης) means wasp-like in ancient Greek.
- ^ OED 2nd edition, 1989.
- ^ Entry "sphenoid" in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
- ^ Thieme Atlas of Anatomy, Head and Neuroanatomy 2011
- ^ Chaurasia (31 January 2013). Human Anatomy Volume Three. CBS Publishers & Distributors. pp. 43–45. ISBN 978-81-239-2332-1.
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