femur

views updated May 17 2018

fe·mur / ˈfēmər/ • n. (pl. fe·murs or fem·o·ra / ˈfemərə/ ) Anat. the bone of the thigh or upper hind limb, articulating at the hip and the knee. ∎ Zool. the third segment of the leg in insects and some other arthropods, typically the longest and thickest segment.DERIVATIVES: fem·o·ral / ˈfemərəl/ adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

femur

views updated May 23 2018

femur
1. The thigh bone of terrestrial vertebrates. It articulates at one end with the pelvic girdle at the hip joint and at the other (via two condyles) with the tibia.

2. The third segment of an insect's leg, attached to the trochanter. See also coxa.

A Dictionary of Biology

femur

views updated May 17 2018

femur (pl. femora)
1. In tetrapods, the upper bone of the hind limb.

2. In Insecta, the third segment in the leg, which articulates with the trochanter proximally, and with the tibia distally. The femur is the largest and most robust segment of the leg in most adult insects. Movement with respect to the trochanter is usually limited.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

femur

views updated May 29 2018

femur. Flat vertical face of a Doric triglyph between pairs of channels (glyphs).

A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture JAMES STEVENS CURL

femur

views updated May 08 2018

femur
1. In tetrapods, the upper bone of the hind limb.

2. In Insecta, the third and usually the largest and most robust segment in the leg.

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY

femur

views updated May 29 2018

femur (thigh bone) (fee-mer) n. a long bone between the hip and the knee. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum of the hip bone; the lower end articulates with the tibia.

A Dictionary of Nursing

femur

views updated Jun 11 2018

femur Thigh bone, extending from the hip to the knee. It is the longest and strongest bone of the human skeleton. In four-legged animals, it is the upper bone in the hind legs.

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