|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
ligament
ligament From the Latin for a bond or tie. A sheet or band of tough, inelastic, fibrous connective tissue. Around joints, ligaments form a cuff or ‘capsule’, along with additional strengthening bands outside it (e.g. spanning the sides of the knee), or they link the ends of the bones inside a joint (e.g. the cruciate ligaments, joining the tibia and femur in the knee joint). The edges or ends of such ligaments are fused with the relevant bones. (Not to be confused with tendons, which extend skeletal muscles to their attachments.) Supports in other sites include the broad ligament for the uterus and Fallopian tubes, which attaches them to the pelvic wall, and the suspensory ligaments for a variety of organs (e.g. eyeball, breast, penis).
Stuart Judge See also connective tissue; joints. |
|
|
Cite this article
COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "ligament." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "ligament." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-ligament.html COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "ligament." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-ligament.html |
|
ligament
lig·a·ment / ˈligəmənt/ • n. Anat. a short band of tough, flexible, fibrous connective tissue that connects two bones or cartilages or holds together a joint. ∎ a membranous fold that supports an organ and keeps it in position. ∎ any similar connecting or binding structure. ∎ archaic a bond of union. DERIVATIVES: lig·a·men·tal / ˌligəˈmentl/ adj. lig·a·men·ta·ry / ˌligəˈment(ə)rē/ adj. lig·a·men·tous / ˌligəˈmentəs/ adj. ORIGIN: late Middle English: from Latin ligamentum ‘bond,’ from ligare ‘to bind.’ |
|
|
Cite this article
"ligament." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ligament." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ligament.html "ligament." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ligament.html |
|
ligament
ligament , strong band of white fibrous connective tissue that joins bones to other bones or to cartilage in the joint areas. The bundles of collagenous fibers that form ligaments tend to be pliable but not elastic. They therefore permit freedom of movement within a certain limited range while holding the attached bones firmly in place. For example, the ligaments at the knee limit the movement of the lower leg to a certain range. Other types of ligaments form fibrous sheets that support such internal organs as the kidneys and the spleen. |
|
|
Cite this article
"ligament." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ligament." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ligament.html "ligament." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ligament.html |
|
ligament
ligament (lig-ă-mĕnt) n.
1. a tough band of white fibrous connective tissue that links two bones together at a joint. Ligaments are inelastic but flexible; they strengthen the joint and limit its movements to certain directions. 2. a sheet of peritoneum that supports or links together abdominal organs. |
|
|
Cite this article
"ligament." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ligament." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-ligament.html "ligament." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-ligament.html |
|
ligament
|
|
|
Cite this article
"ligament." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ligament." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-ligament.html "ligament." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-ligament.html |
|
ligament
ligament Bands of tough fibrous connective tissue that join bone to bone at the joints. Ligaments, which contain the tough protein collagen, form part of the supporting tissues of the body.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"ligament." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ligament." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-ligament.html "ligament." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-ligament.html |
|
ligament
ligament short band of animal tissue XIV; ligature XVI. — L. ligāmentum, f. ligāre bind, tie; see -MENT.
So ligature XIV. |
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "ligament." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "ligament." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ligament.html T. F. HOAD. "ligament." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ligament.html |
|
ligament
ligament A band of tissue that holds together adjacent bones in a vertebrate and valves in an invertebrate.
|
|
|
Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "ligament." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "ligament." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-ligament.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "ligament." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-ligament.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
