Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

fornices
Plural of fornix.
fornix
In anatomy, any vaultlike or arched struc-
ture, such as the fornix cerebri (an arching fibrous
band in the brain).
fornix cerebri
One of two arching fibrous bands
in the brain that connect the two lobes of the cere-
brum. Each of the two fornices in the brain is an
arched tract of nerves.
fornix conjunctivae
The loose arching folds
that connect the conjunctival membrane lining the
inside of the eyelid with the conjunctival membrane
covering the eyeball.
fornix uteri
The anterior (front) and posterior
(back) recesses into which the upper vagina is
divided. These vaultlike recesses are formed by pro-
trusion of the cervix into the vagina. The fornix uteri
is also known as the fornix vaginae (or the vaginal
fornices) and the uterine fornices.
fornix vaginae
See 
fornix uteri.
founder effect
The positive effect on gene fre-
quency when a population (colony) has only a small
number of original settlers, one or more of whom
had that gene. For example, the gene for
Huntington’s disease was introduced into the Lake
Maracaibo region in Venezuela early in the nine-
teenth century. This is now the largest known aggre-
gation of the Huntington’s gene in the world.
fourth stage of labor
The hour or two after
delivery when the tone of the uterus is reestablished
as the uterus contracts again, expelling any remain-
ing contents. These contractions are hastened by
breastfeeding, which stimulates production of the
hormone oxytocin.
foramen of Magendie
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