Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
palatine bone

palatine bone

7.9
One of two small bones at the back of the mouth that help form the nose and eye sockets
  • noun
  • /ˈpælətɪn boʊn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hueso palatino
  • Damage to the palatine bone can affect both breathing and vision.

Examples

  • The surgeon carefully examined the palatine bone to ensure there were no fractures.

  • The palatine bone plays a crucial role in forming the structure of the nasal cavity.

  • Curettage of the palatine bone was also performed.

    Academic text (2005)

Synonyms

palatine
vspalatine bone
  • Specialized
1 9.9

One of two small bones that form the back of the roof of the mouth

is the same description but uses the term orbit instead of eye socket
os palatinum
vspalatine bone
  • Specialized
9.9

A bone at the back of the roof of the mouth that helps form the nose and eye socket floor

is the identical definition rather than an alternative wording

Surface Forms

palatine bone singular
palatine bones plural

Morphology

palatine + bone

The phrase is fully compositional: 'palatine' specifies the posterior-palate element and 'bone' denotes skeletal tissue, so 'palatine bone' straightforwardly refers to the bone located in the palatine region. This is a non-idiomatic, descriptive anatomical label (parallel in many languages), so a learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Palatine bone is named for the word palatine, which means the 'palate' or 'roof of the mouth'. The name shows its place: it is the bone at the back of that roof, so the name helps us remember where it sits.