ramus

[rey-muh s] /ˈreɪ məs/
noun, plural rami
[rey-mahy] /ˈreɪ maɪ/ (Show IPA). Botany, Zoology, Anatomy
1.
a branch, as of a plant, vein, bone, etc.
Origin
1795-1805; < Latin rāmus branch, twig, bough; akin to rādīx root1 (see radix)
Examples from the web for ramus
  • Each artery then divides into an anterior and a posterior ramus.
  • The shape, as well as the breadth and length of the ramus of the lower jaw, varies in a highly remarkable manner.
  • The oblique line runs upward from the mental tubercle and is continuous behind with the anterior border of the ramus.
British Dictionary definitions for ramus

ramus

/ˈreɪməs/
noun (pl) -mi (-maɪ)
1.
the barb of a bird's feather
2.
either of the two parts of the lower jaw of a vertebrate
3.
any part or organ that branches from another part
Word Origin
C19: from Latin: branch
Word Origin and History for ramus
n.

"a branch" (anatomical), 1803, from Latin ramus "a branch, bough, twig," related to radix "root;" see radish.

ramus in Medicine

ramus ra·mus (rā'məs)
n. pl. ra·mi (-mī')

  1. Any of the primary divisions of a nerve or blood vessel.

  2. A part of an irregularly shaped bone that is thicker than a process and forms an angle with the main body, especially the ascending part of the lower jaw that makes a joint at the temple.

  3. Any of the primary divisions of a cerebral sulcus.