Terminal sulcus of tongue
Sulcus terminalis linguae
Definition
The median sulcus divides the dorsum of the tongue into symmetrical halves; this sulcus ends behind, about 2.5 cm. from the root of the tongue, in a depression, the foramen caecum, from which a shallow groove, the sulcus terminalis, runs lateralward and forward on either side to the margin of the tongue.
The foramen caecum is the remains of the upper part of the thyroglossal duct or diverticulum from which the thyroid gland is developed; the pyramidal lobe of the thyroid gland indicates the position of the lower part of the duct.
References
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
