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Glite Dictionary
🔄 Turning point 🦷 A tooth point 🏰 A pointed curve ❤️ A heart flap
cusp

cusp

8.1
A thin triangular flap in a heart valve that lets blood flow in one direction
  • noun
  • /kʌsp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : valva
  • Each cusp of the heart valve plays a crucial role in ensuring proper blood circulation.

Examples

  • The doctor explained that the cusp helps the valve close tightly, preventing blood from flowing backward.

  • How long before I'd have that iliac cusp bone?

    12 Days with God (2019)

  • Deep within the thickness of its walls, tucked beneath the cusps of its valves?

    Fiction book (2001)

  • During the surgery, the surgeon carefully examined the cusp of the valve to ensure it functioned correctly.

Synonyms

leaflet
vscusp
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A thin flap of a heart valve that helps control blood flow

is a thin triangular flap specified by shape rather than a general segment

Idioms

on the cusp of
9 6.0

Close to reaching something important, like success or a big discovery

How Thin

membrane
  • Specialized
74 4.5
cusp
  • Specialized
8.1
flap
  • Specialized
12 8.1
pad
118 1.4

Surface Forms

cusp singular
cusps plural

Etymology

Cusp for a heart valve comes from Latin cuspis 'point' or 'spear' and describes a thin, pointed flap or 'tip' that opens and closes. This shows why a damaged cusp can make a valve leak and affect blood flow.