fovea

Meaning

1. (declension-1, feminine) pit, hole in the ground
2. (declension-1, feminine) snare, pitfall

Concepts

pit

pitfall

obstacle

obstruction

a pit

burrow

trap for game

ditch

Synonyms

fossa

puteus

specus

scrobs

foßßa

Translations

vala

embûche

fosso

Grube

fossa

obstacle

شَركٌ

فَخّ

Fallstrick

Bau

خنْدق

Hindernis

Loch

🕳️

graben

fossat

Pronounced as (IPA)

[ˈfɔ.we.a]

Etymology

De Vaan dismisses any relation with Ancient Greek χειά (kheiá, “serpent's den”), and leaves the origin open. He notes that favissae (“underground cellars”) may or may not be related.
Older theories derived the word from a Proto-Indo-European *bʰow- (“pit, hole”) (compare Proto-Germanic *būkaz (“belly”)).