noun
septum
SEP-tum/ˈseptəm/
A wall of tissue separating parts or cavities of an organism.
The nasal septum divides the two nasal cavities.
Etymology
A saeptum was a fence or partition. Applied to anatomy, the same boundary image describes a wall dividing bodily spaces, especially the partition between the nostrils.
In context
And we have a septum here that separates the right and left sides of the heart.
More examples
- The diagram showed a septum dividing the chamber.
- The anatomist identified the tissue forming the septum.
- A defect affected the septum between the heart’s chambers.
Forms
septum · septa · septums
Similar words
- partition
- Partition is any dividing wall; septum specifically names such a division in anatomy or biology.