sphenoidalare

Sphenoidalare is not a widely used term in modern anatomy. In some older Latin or Italian sources, it may appear as an adjective form relating to the sphenoid bone of the skull. In contemporary English-language anatomy, the more common terms are sphenoid or sphenoidal.

The sphenoid bone is a central, butterfly-shaped bone at the base of the skull. It articulates with multiple other bones, contributing to the floor of the cranial cavity, the walls of the orbits, and the nasal cavity. Its complex shape includes a central body, paired greater wings, paired lesser wings, and various pterygoid processes. The bone houses important structures such as the sella turcica, which contains the pituitary gland, and it contains or transmits several openings that serve the cranial nerves and vessels.

Key features associated with the sphenoid include the optic canal, which transmits the optic nerve; the superior orbital fissure, through which several cranial nerves pass; and the foramina rotundum, ovale, and spinosum, which transmit other nerves and vessels. The sphenoid also forms part of the sphenoid sinus, a midline air-filled cavity within the bone that communicates with the nasal cavity.

In modern anatomical literature, precise terminology tends to favor sphenoid or sphenoidal rather than the form sphenoidalare. Nevertheless, when encountered, such a term is generally understood to pertain to features or aspects related to the sphenoid bone or its regional anatomy.

See also: sphenoid bone; sphenoidal sinus; sella turcica; cranial foramina.