What does cribrose mean?
"Cribrose" is a rare adjective describing something perforated with many small holes — in effect, sieve-like. The word derives from the Latin cribrum, meaning a sieve, and belongs to a small family of terms (including cribriform and cribrous) used almost exclusively in scientific contexts. In anatomy it most famously applies to the cribriform plate, the part of the ethmoid bone in the skull that is punctured by tiny foramina through which olfactory nerve fibres pass from the nose to the brain. Botanists and histologists may also use it of tissues, membranes, or seed coats that are densely pitted with pores. Because "cribriform" dominates modern usage, "cribrose" appears chiefly in older or more specialised texts. For general readers, it offers an elegant, precise way to describe any surface riddled with fine perforations, evoking the humble kitchen sieve at the heart of its etymology.
adjectivePerforated with many small holes; resembling a sieve in structure. Used chiefly of anatomical structures, especially the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone.
- Perforated like a sieve; full of small holes (especially of anatomical structures such as bone).
"The surgeon noted that the bone had become unusually cribrose, its surface riddled with tiny perforations."
"Under the microscope, the plate appeared distinctly cribrose, peppered with minute openings through which nerves passed."
"Botanists sometimes describe certain seed coats as cribrose when they are densely pitted with pores."
Your skull has a built-in colander — and "cribrose" is the word for anything perforated like one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cribrose
"Cribrose" comes from the Latin cribrum, meaning a sieve, via the adjectival suffix -ose, giving the sense "of the nature of a sieve." It entered English scientific vocabulary alongside related coinages such as "cribriform" (sieve-shaped) and "cribrous," all drawing on the same image of a perforated strainer. Its cognates ultimately trace back to the idea of sifting, and the word remains tied to anatomy, where sievelike bone structures were among its earliest applications.
Related word forms
How cribrose is actually used
A rare technical term found mainly in anatomy, histology, and older scientific writing. It is largely synonymous with the more common "cribriform" and is seldom encountered outside specialist literature.
Easily confused with cribrose
"Fibrose" describes tissue thickened by fibrous scarring, whereas "cribrose" describes something pierced by numerous small holes like a sieve.
"Cribrous" is simply a variant spelling/pronunciation of the same term meaning sieve-like; there is no difference in meaning.