The term
sulcus (pl.
sulci) is a general descriptive term for a furrow or fissure. It is used in many disciplines, such as
geology, but in
morphological and
anatomical connections it usually refers to a groove as a feature in the surface of a limb or an organ, notably in the surface of the
brain, but also in the
lungs, certain
muscles (including the
heart), as well as in many
bones, and various other major morphological features, both internal and external. Many sulci are the product of a surface fold or junction, such as in the
gums, where they fold around the
neck of the tooth.