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nasal bone

nasal bone

1 3.7
One of the two thin bones that form the bridge of the nose
  • noun
  • /ˈneɪzəl boʊn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hueso nasal
  • After the accident, she had surgery to repair a fractured nasal bone.
  • nasal bone asymmetry
  • subtle nasal bone

Examples

  • Aneurysmal cysts feature blood-filled cavernous spaces lined with fibroblasts and osteoclast-like giant cells; they are rarely seen in the nasal bone.

    Academic text (2008)
  • There is a flattening of the prominence at the junction of the bony portion of the nasal bone and the cartilaginous septum.

  • There are many instruments available to perform these cuts in the nasal bones.

    Academic text (1995)
  • "The entire cartilage of the nose is gone, "the nasal bone exposed.

  • It did not possess a nasal bone.

    Blog text (13)
  • Any of these techniques should succeed in lining up this fragment with the other parts of the nasal bones.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Two of the 21 patients had concomitant nasal bone fractures that did not preclude their enrollment in the study.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Patients were considered to be candidates if they had isolated, subtle, nasal bone asymmetry and declined a secondary surgical rhinoplasty procedure.

    Academic text (2012)
  • When a nasal bone twists or curves abnormally, multiple osteotomies must be used to create multiple fractures.

    Academic text (1995)
  • When irregularities are felt on the anterior or lateral surfaces of the nasal bones and nasomaxillary processes, it is probable that trauma has taken place (although often the patient offers no history of such trauma).

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

nasal
vsnasal bone
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A long thin bone that forms the bridge of the nose

is one of a pair found in humans and some animals
os nasale
vsnasal bone
  • Specialized
9.9

A small thin bone that forms the bridge of the nose

specifies it is one of a pair in humans and some animals

Surface Forms

nasal bone singular
nasal bones plural

Morphology

nasal + bone

This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase: 'nasal' (relating to the nose) modifies 'bone', yielding 'bone of the nose' (the bridge area). The meaning follows normal modifier+head composition and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Nasal bone comes from a simple picture: nasal means 'of the nose' and bone is the hard part under the skin, so nasal bone is one of the two small bones that make the bridge of the nose.