What does fundus mean?
Fundus is a noun used almost entirely in medical and anatomical contexts to describe the base of a hollow organ — the part furthest from its opening, or in some cases the uppermost rounded region. In obstetrics, the fundus is the dome of the uterus above the fallopian tubes, whose position is measured during pregnancy to monitor fetal growth. In gastroenterology, the gastric fundus is the rounded upper portion of the stomach, while ophthalmologists refer to the fundus of the eye as the interior rear surface visible through the pupil, including the retina and optic disc. The word comes straight from Latin, where fundus simply meant the bottom or farmstead floor of anything, so its everyday sense of 'bottom' survives in scientific dress. Its precision and Latin pedigree make it indispensable to clinicians even though most English speakers will only meet it on a medical report.
nounThe base or lowest part of a hollow organ, especially the upper rounded portion of the uterus or the back of the eye opposite the pupil. In anatomy generally, it denotes the part of an organ farthest from its opening.
- In anatomy and medicine: the base or lowermost part of a hollow organ, or the part farthest from its opening — as in the fundus of the uterus, stomach, gallbladder, or eye.
- More broadly: the bottom or base of anything, the original Latin sense.
"During the prenatal checkup, the obstetrician measured the height of the uterine fundus to track the baby's growth."
"The endoscope revealed inflammation in the gastric fundus, near the opening of the oesophagus."
"An ophthalmologist examines the fundus of the eye to detect signs of diabetes or hypertension."
Pluralised with the Latin-style '-i' ending, though singular use dominates because each organ typically has only one fundus. In plural contexts (e.g. both eyes), 'fundi' is standard in ophthalmology.
"The retinae and optic discs appeared normal on examination of both ocular fundi."
Latin for simply 'the bottom', fundus now names some of medicine's most examined real estate — from the stomach's dome to the spot where your baby's growth is measured with a tape measure.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fundus
Fundus comes directly from Latin fundus, meaning 'bottom', 'base', or 'farm'. The same Latin root gave rise to the verb fundere ('to pour'), which underlies English words such as found, founder, and profound. Medical writers adopted the term in the early modern period to name the base of organs in Latin anatomical terminology, from which it passed into English usage in the seventeenth century.
How fundus is actually used
Fundus is almost exclusively encountered in medical, anatomical, and scientific contexts; laypeople rarely use it outside pregnancy care (fundal height measurements) and ophthalmology. Plural forms are uncommon since it is usually applied to one organ at a time. It is a formal register term borrowed directly from Latin.
Easily confused with fundus
'Found' is a verb meaning to establish or discover (from the same Latin root fundere/fundus family), while 'fundus' is a noun naming the base of a bodily organ.
'Fungus' is a spore-producing organism such as a mushroom, whereas 'fundus' is an anatomical term for the base of a hollow organ; the words look and sound similar but share no meaning.