[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/fontanelle/)

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# fontanelle

noun (a fontanelle, fontanelles; US spelling fontanel)

«fontanelle» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

A fontanelle is a soft spot on a baby's head where the bones of the skull have not yet joined together. It closes as the baby grows, usually by about 18 months to 2 years. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fontanelle/#m1)

### In the lessons

In science and family-life lessons about babies and growing up, the fontanelle shows that a baby's skull is made of separate plates that can move a little at birth and then grow together. Parents are told to be gentle with a baby's head. Phrases: «the soft spot», «the fontanelle closes».

### Examples

- A newborn baby has a soft fontanelle on top of its head. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fontanelle/#x1)
- The fontanelle lets the baby's skull grow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fontanelle/#x2)
- Be gentle with the baby's head because of the fontanelle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fontanelle/#x3)
- The nurse checked the baby's fontanelle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fontanelle/#x4)
- The fontanelle closes by about the age of two. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fontanelle/#x5)
- Everyday people call the fontanelle the soft spot. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fontanelle/#x6)

### Note

UK spelling: fontanelle; US: fontanel. Say «fon-tuh-NEL». Myth: touching it gently does not hurt the baby; there is a tough layer under the skin.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «fontanelle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fontanelle/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«fontanelle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/fontanelle.html) on Mova free.