Bone Surface Markings

Fissure

Narrow slit between adjacent parts of bones through which blood vessels or nerves pass

Foramen

Opening through which blood vessels, nerves, or ligaments pass

Foramina

Plural of foramen

Fossa

Shallow, groove-like depression

Sulcus

Furrow along bone surface that accommodates blood vessels, nerves, or tendons

Meatus

Tube-like opening creating a passageway into a bone

Process

Projection or outgrowth on bone that forms joints or attachment points for connective tissue, such as ligaments and tendons

Condyle

Large, round protuberance with a smooth articular surface at the end of a bone

Facet

Smooth, flat, slightly concave or convex articular surface

Head

Usually rounded articular projection supported on the neck of a bone

Neck

Constricted portion of a bone

Crest

Prominent ridge or elongated projection

Epicondyle

Typically roughened projection above a condyle

Line

Long, narrow ridge or border that is less prominent than a crest

Spinous process

Sharp, slender projection

Trochanter

Very large projection

Tubercle

Variably sized rounded projection

Tuberosity

Variably sized projection that has a rough, bumpy surface

Squama

Flat, scale-like plate of bone

Margin

Edge or border of a bone

Notch

A relatively deep indentation in a bone, usually between two projections

Plate

Thin, flat region of a bone

Conchae

Thin, scroll-shaped projections

Suture

Immovable joint that holds most skull bones together

Fontanel

A mesenchyme-filled space where bone formation is not yet complete, especially between the cranial bones of an infant's skull

Bifid

Describes the spinous processes of cervical vertebrae that are split into two tips

Shaft

Body of a long bone

Fovea

Small central depression or pit on the head of a long bone

Eminence

Small upward projection on the head of a long bone

Malleolus

Rounded bony protuberance on each side of the ankle