fossa

1 a concavity in a surface (especially an anatomical depression) [syn: pit]

2 monotypic genus of Madagascar civets closely related to palm civets [syn: genus Fossa]

3 largest carnivore of Madagascar; intermediate in some respects between cats and civets [syn: fossa cat, Cryptoprocta ferox] [also: fossae (pl)]

Italian

Noun

1. pit, hole
2. grave

Related terms

• affossare
• fossa comune
• fossato
• infossare

Latin

Noun

1. ditch, trench, moat

Inflection

Synonyms

• sense ditch fossiō, fovea

Related terms

• fodiō
• fossātum
• fossātus

Descendants

• English: fosse
• French: fosse, fossé, fossette
• Italian: fosso

See also

• fossil

Fossa is the Latin word for ditch or trench. It can refer to one of the following:

Anatomy

In anatomical terminology, fossa has come to mean a depression or hollow, in general, in a bone. Other parts of the body may be involved, for example, the antecubital fossa. Some examples include:

• Antecubital fossa
• Fossa navicularis
• Cuboid fossa
• Anterior cranial fossa
• Middle cranial fossa
• Posterior cranial fossa
• Jugular fossa
• Fossa ovalis (heart)
• Fossa ovalis (thigh)
• Iliac fossa
• Pelvic fossa
• Popliteal fossa
• Supraclavicular fossa
• On the Temporal bone
  • Mandibular fossa
  • Jugular fossa
• On the scapula:
  • Glenoid fossa
  • Supraspinous fossa
  • Infraspinous fossa
  • Subscapular fossa

• See also foramen.

Art

• La Fossa, an Italian rap group.

Geology

• Fossa (geology), used in planetary geology.

Geography

• Fossa, small village near L'Aquila, Italy.
• Fossa, County Kerry, small village near Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland
• Fossa (Iceland), River in Iceland, discharging into Berufiord Bay, near Akranes

Zoology

• Fossa (animal) (Cryptoprocta ferox), a mammal native to the island of Madagascar.
• Fossa (genus), the genus of the Malagasy Civet, a mammal closely related to the Fossa.