Skeletal Vocabulary #1: The Skull

parietal bone

a bone forming the central side and upper back part of each side of the skull

lacrimal

a small bone forming part of the eye socket

ethmoid bone

a square bone at the root of the nose, forming part of the cranium, and having many perforations through which the olfactory nerves pass to the nose

sphenoid

butterfly-shaped bone; houses the pituitary gland; base of the skull; in front of temporal bone

palatine bones

each of two bones within the skull forming parts of the eye socket, the nasal cavity, and the hard palate

temporal bone

either of a pair of bones that form part of the side of the skull on each side and enclose the middle and inner ear

inferior nasal conchae

scroll-shaped thin bones making up lateral part of nasal cavity; the membranes lining them help to filter and warm air

occipital bone

the bone that forms the back and base of the skull; the spinal cord passes through it

frontal bone

the bone that forms the front part of the skull and the upper part of the eye sockets

zygomatic bones

the bone that forms the prominent part of the cheek and the outer side of the eye socket

mandible

the jaw or a jawbone, esp. the lower jawbone in mammals and fishes

maxillae

the jaw or jawbone, specifically the upper jaw in most vertebrates. In humans it also forms part of the nose and eye socket

vomer bone

thin, flat bones that form the back of the nasal septum

nasal bones

two bones, side-by-side that make up the bridge of the nose