n. (pl. pontes) Anat. (in full pons Varolii) the part of the brain stem that links the medulla oblongata and the thalamus.
Phrases and idioms:
pons asinorum any difficult proposition, orig. a rule of geometry from Euclid ('bridge of asses').
Etymology: L, bridge: Varolii f. C. Varoli, It. anatomist d. 1575