An infundibulum (Latin for ''funnel''; plural, ''infundibula'') is a

funnel A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...

-shaped cavity or organ.

Anatomy

* Brain: the

pituitary stalk The pituitary stalk (also known as the infundibular stalk, Fenderson's funnel, or simply the infundibulum) is the connection between the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary. The floor of the third ventricle is prolonged downward as a funnel- ...

, also known as the ''infundibulum'' and ''infundibular stalk'', is the connection between the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary. * Hair follicle: the infundibulum is the cup or funnel in which a hair follicle grows. *

Infundibulum (heart) The infundibulum (also known as ''conus arteriosus'') is a conical pouch formed from the upper and left angle of the right ventricle in the chordate heart, from which the pulmonary trunk arises. It develops from the bulbus cordis. Typically, the i ...

: The infundibulum of the heart, or conus arteriosus, is the outflow portion of the right ventricle. * Lung: The alveolar sacs of the lungs, from which the air chambers (alveoli) open, are also called ''infundibula''. *

Sinus (anatomy) A sinus is a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue, or an abnormal cavity or passage caused by the destruction of tissue. In common usage, "sinus" usually refers to the paranasal sinuses, which are air cavities in the cranial bones, especially th ...

: The

ethmoidal infundibulum The hiatus semilunaris is bounded inferiorly by the sharp concave margin of the uncinate process of the ethmoid bone In the ethmoid bone, a sickle shaped projection, the uncinate process, projects posteroinferiorly from the ethmoid labyrinth. B ...

is the most important of three infundibula of the nose: the frontal infundibulum and the maxillary infundibulum flow into it. *

Infundibulum of uterine tube The fallopian tubes, also known as uterine tubes, oviducts or salpinges (singular salpinx), are paired tubes in the human female that stretch from the uterus to the ovaries. The fallopian tubes are part of the female reproductive system. In ot ...

: the funnel-like end of the mammal oviduct nearest to the ovary. *

Gallbladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, although ...

: The Infundibulum of the gallbladder (also known as the "neck" of the gallbladder) is the end of nearest to the cystic duct, which is often dilated relative to the body of the gallbladder, and is a common site for gallstones. * Renal pelvis, sometimes called the renal infundibulum

Veterinary medicine

* Infundibulum (tooth): In horses, other equines and ruminants, the infundibulum of a tooth is the central cup or funnel of tooth enamel and cementum.

Botany

Glossary of botanical terms This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

: infundibular means "funnel-shaped" in plant morphology, for example referring to the corolla of some flowers.

Other uses

Cephalopod limb All cephalopods possess flexible limbs extending from their heads and surrounding their beaks. These appendages, which function as muscular hydrostats, have been variously termed arms, legs or tentacles. Description In the scientific ...

: The outer shallow cavity of a sucker on a Cephalopod limb is called an ''infundibulum''. * ''Infundibulum'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snail * In the science fiction novel ''

The Sirens of Titan ''The Sirens of Titan'' is a comic science fiction novel by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., first published in 1959. His second novel, it involves issues of free will, omniscience, and the overall purpose of human history. Much of the story revolves around ...

'' by Kurt Vonnegut, a "chronosynclastic infundibulum" is a kind of wormhole through time and space, defined as "where all the different kinds of truths fit together". *

Ian McDonald (British author) Ian McDonald (born 1960) is a British science fiction novelist, living in Belfast. His themes include nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings, and the impact of rapid social and technological change on non-Western societies. Early life Ian McDo ...

- the ''Everness'' science fiction series is about the adventures of Everett Singh, a British boy whose understanding of the use of a quantum mechanics and an infundibulum device permits him to travel to parallel worlds under the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics.

Anatomy

Veterinary medicine

Botany

Other uses

See also