Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🕳️ A small opening 🚪 An entrance
ostium

ostium

9.9
An entrance to a building often seen in old temples
  • noun
  • /ˈɑːstiəm/
  • Archaic
translation icon : ostio
  • The ancient temple's ostium was decorated with intricate carvings of mythological creatures.

Examples

  • The poet described the castle's ostium as a threshold between two worlds.

  • Can you see the ostium of that cave?

  • In anatomy, an ostium refers to a small opening or orifice in a body organ.

  • The ancient temple had a grand ostium adorned with carvings.

  • The grand ostium of the ancient castle served as a portal to its majestic hall.

  • In the heart of the city, the ostium of the historic building attracted many curious visitors.

  • The anatomy textbook explained that the ostium of the heart plays a critical role in blood circulation.

Synonyms

os
vsostium
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A mouthlike opening in a living body that lets water or food pass

is used for entrances and doorways in historical and literary contexts

How Big

portal
124 6.0
gateway
75 2.8
ostium
  • Archaic
9.9
doorway
240 1.0
wicket
1 7.5

Surface Forms

ostium singular
ostia plural

Etymology

Ostium comes from the Latin word ostium meaning 'door' or 'entrance', and was used for the doors of temples or buildings, so in history or literature an ostium is simply a doorway or threshold between two places.