A frenulum (or frenum, plural: frenula or frena, from the Latin ''frēnulum'', "little bridle", the

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

of ''frēnum''Article title
/ref>) is a small fold of tissue that secures the motion of a mobile

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

in the

body Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...

In human anatomy

Frenula on the human body include several in the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

, some in the digestive tract, and some connected to the external genitalia. *Brain: ''

Frenulum of superior medullary velum The frenulum veli, or frenulum of superior medullary velum, also known as the ''frenulum veli medullaris superioris'', ''cerebellar frenulum'', or ''frenulum cerebelli'' is a slightly raised white band passing from the inferior end of the medial l ...

'' or ''frenulum veli'' *Digestive tract: ''frenulum valvae ileocaecalis'' *Oral tissue: Frenula of the

include the '' frenulum linguae'' under the tongue, the '' frenulum labii superioris'' inside the upper lip, the ''

frenulum labii inferioris The inferior labial frenulum, or ''frenulum labii inferioris'' (Latin, meaning "little bridle of the lower lip"). is the frenulum connecting the lower gums with the lower lip. Function The inferior labial frenulum, alongside the superior labia ...

'' inside the lower lip, and the buccal frena which connect the cheeks to the gum. These can easily be torn by violent blows to the face or mouth, thus a torn frenulum is sometimes a warning sign of physical abuse. *Penile tissue: The word ''frenulum'' on its own is often used for the frenulum of prepuce of penis or ''frenulum preputii penis'', which is an elastic band of tissue under the glans penis that connects to the

prepuce Prepuce , or as an adjective, preputial , refers to two homologous structures of male and female genitals: *Clitoral hood, skin surrounding and protecting the head of the clitoris *Foreskin, skin surrounding and protecting the head of the penis in ...

( foreskin) to the vernal mucosa, and helps contract the prepuce over the glans. *Vulvular tissue: In females, genital frenula include the '' frenulum clitoridis'' of the

clitoris The clitoris ( or ) is a female sex organ present in mammals, ostriches and a limited number of other animals. In humans, the visible portion – the glans – is at the front junction of the labia minora (inner lips), above the ope ...

and the '' frenulum labiorum pudendi'' (''fourchette'') where the labia minora meet at the back. An overly short oral or genital frenulum may require a

frenulectomy A frenectomy is the removal of a frenulum, a small fold of tissue that prevents an organ in the body from moving too far. It can refer to frenula in several places on the human body. It is related to frenuloplasty, a surgical alteration in a f ...

or frenuloplasty to achieve normal mobility.

In insects

The word frenulum also refers to a bristle present at the root of the hindwing of most moths which engages with a small hook or tuft on the forewing (the retinaculum) to join the wings together.

References

External links

* {{Wiktionary-inline Tissues (biology) Insect anatomy

In human anatomy

In insects

See also

Piercings

References

External links