Septum

Alternative forms

• saeptum
• sæptum

Origin

From Latin sēptum, alternative form of saeptum ("enclosure, hedge, fence"), from saeptus, perfect passive participle of saepiō ("hedge in, enclose").

Full definition of septum

Noun

1. (anatomy) A wall separating two cavities; a partition; as, the nasal septum.
• 2002, Springhouse, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Illustrated Manual of Nursing Practice, page 1158Deviated septum, a shift from the midline that commonly occurs in normal growth, is present in most adults.
2. (botany) A partition that separates the cells of a fruit.
3. (mycology) A partition that separates the cells of a (septated) fungus.
4. (zoology) One of the radial calcareous plates of a coral.
5. (zoology) One of the transverse partitions dividing the shell of a mollusk, or of a rhizopod, into several chambers.
6. (zoology) One of the transverse partitions dividing the body cavity of an annelid.

Related terms

• nasal septum
• interventricular septum