A frenulum (or frenum, plural: frenula or frena, from the Latin ''frēnulum'', "little bridle", the
diminutive of ''frēnum''
Article title
/ref>) is a small fold of tissue that secures the motion of a mobile organ 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, some in the digestive tract
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
, and some connected to the sex organ, external genitalia.
*Brain: ''Frenulum of superior medullary velum'' or ''frenulum veli''
*Digestive tract: ''frenulum valvae ileocaecalis''
*Oral tissue: Frenula of the mouth include the ''Frenulum of tongue, frenulum linguae'' under the tongue, the ''frenulum labii superioris'' inside the upper lip, the ''frenulum labii inferioris'' 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 Foreskin, prepuce (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 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 or frenuloplasty to achieve normal mobility.
In insects
The word frenulum also refers to a Wing coupling (Lepidoptera anatomy)#frenulum, bristle present at the root of the hindwing of most moths which engages with a small hook or tuft on the forewing (the Wing coupling (Lepidoptera anatomy)#retinaculum, retinaculum) to join the wings together.
See also
* Frenectomy – surgical removal of frenula
* Frenuloplasty – surgical alterations of frenula
* Frenulum breve
* Frenulum of labia minora
* Frenulum of lower lip
* Frenulum veli
Piercings
* Frenum piercing
* Lip frenulum piercing
* Tongue frenulum piercing
References
External links
* {{Wiktionary-inline
Tissues (biology)
Insect anatomy