Axial Skeleton and Bone Markings Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering the axial skeleton, skull structures, facial bones, spinal curvatures, and vertebral components from Chapter 1 to Chapter 8 lecture transcript.

Axial Skeleton

Bones that run along the midline or long axis of the body, including the skull, vertebral column, thoracic cage, middle ear bones, and hyoid bone.

Appendicular Skeleton

Bones of the upper limbs, lower limbs, pectoral girdle, and pelvic girdle.

Sesamoid Bones

Bones that form in tendons due to stress, such as the kneecap (patella), hand, wrist, or foot bones.

Sutural Bones (Wormian Bones)

Extra pieces of bone that form specifically within the sutures of the skull during fusion.

Foramen

A hole passing through a bone that serves as a passageway for nerves and blood vessels.

Foramina

The plural form of foramen; tiny holes through bones allowing passage of nerves and blood vessels.

Paranasal Sinuses

Air-filled spaces lined by ciliated pseudostratified epithelial and mucus-secreting goblet cells that lighten the anterior skull, humidify and warm air, and increase vocal resonance.

Cranial Fossa

Shallow depressions or basins on the floor of the cranial cavity on which different regions of the brain rest.

Calvaria

The skull cap, representing a superior view of the skull taking off the top portion above the eyes and ears.

Cranial Bones

The $8$ bones of the skull that enclose and directly touch or form a protective casing for the brain.

Frontal Bone

The cranial bone that forms the forehead, contains the frontal sinus, and is bordered posteriorly by the coronal suture.

Parietal Bones

Two cranial bones joined at the sagittal suture along the midline and bordered posteriorly by the lambdoid suture.

Sphenoid Bone

A single butterfly- or moth-shaped cranial bone extending across the skull with lesser and greater wings.

Ethmoid Bone

A cranial bone situated between the eyes at the roof of the nasal cavity containing the cribriform plate, perpendicular plate, crista galli, and nasal conchae.

Perpendicular Plate

Structure of the ethmoid bone that forms the superior two-thirds of the nasal septum.

Cribriform Plate

The roof of the nasal cavity on the ethmoid bone containing cribriform foramina for passage of olfactory nerves.

Crista Galli

A median crest on the ethmoid bone that serves as an attachment site for the dura mater membrane of the brain.

Styloid Process

A sharp spike-like projection on the temporal bone serving as an attachment point for tongue and pharynx muscles, as well as the hyoid bone.

Petrous Part

Internal portion of the temporal bone that divides the middle from the posterior cranial fossa and houses middle and inner ear structures.

Occipital Bone

The cranial bone forming the base and rear of the skull, housing the foramen magnum and occipital condyles.

Foramen Magnum

The large opening in the occipital bone through which the spinal cord emerges to connect with the brain.

Facial Bones

The $14$ bones of the skull that support facial structure and do not directly contact the brain.

Maxillae

The largest facial bones forming the upper jaw, intermaxillary suture, nasal opening, lower orbits, and most of the hard palate.

Palatine Bones

Paired facial bones forming the posterior portion of the hard palate that divide the oral and nasal cavities.

Zygomatic Bones

Facial bones commonly known as the cheekbones, forming the lateral wall of the orbit.

Lacrimal Bones

The smallest facial bones of the skull, forming part of the medial orbit wall and housing lacrimal sacs for tear ducts.

Vomer

An unpaired facial bone forming most of the anterior portion of the nasal septum.

Mandible

The lower jaw bone and the only intentionally freely movable bone of the skull.

Mental Protuberance

The anatomical term for the tip or prominent point of the chin on the mandible.

Hyoid Bone

A delicate horseshoe-shaped sesamoid bone suspended in the neck between the chin and larynx that does not articulate with any other bone.

Kyphosis

An abnormal or normal posterior curvature of the spine.

Lordosis

An abnormal or normal anterior curvature of the spine.

Scoliosis

An abnormal lateral deviation or curvature of the spine, usually occurring in the thoracic region.

Hyperkyphosis

An exaggerated posterior thoracic curvature of the spine, commonly known as hunchback.

Hyperlordosis

An exaggerated anterior lumbar curvature of the spine, commonly known as swayback.

Vertebral Body (Centrum)

The large, solid, weight-bearing anterior mass of a vertebra made of spongy bone covered by compact bone.

Annulus Fibrosus

The outer ring of an intervertebral disc composed of fibrocartilage that absorbs shock and provides flexibility.

Nucleus Pulposus

The gelatinous inner core of an intervertebral disc surrounded by the annulus fibrosus.