Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

metatarsus

American  
[met-uh-tahr-suhs] / ˌmɛt əˈtɑr səs /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

plural

metatarsi
  1. the part of a foot or hind limb, especially its bony structure, included between the tarsus and the toes or phalanges.


metatarsus British  
/ ˌmɛtəˈtɑːsəs /

noun

  1. the skeleton of the human foot between the toes and the tarsus, consisting of five long bones

  2. the corresponding skeletal part in other vertebrates

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of metatarsus

From New Latin, dating back to 1670–80; see origin at meta-, tarsus

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Calcaneum sometimes flies off from the Astragalus both in the inside and without; and the Bones of the Tarsus, Metatarsus, and Toes are likewise apt to be luxated.

From The Compleat Surgeon or, the whole Art of Surgery explain'd in a most familiar Method. by Le Clerc, Charles Gabriel

The Internal lie in the bottom of the Foot, and take up the Spaces between the five Bones of the Metatarsus.

From The Compleat Surgeon or, the whole Art of Surgery explain'd in a most familiar Method. by Le Clerc, Charles Gabriel

Metatarsus and digits in three Pterodactyles 104 36.

From Dragons of the Air An Account of Extinct Flying Reptiles by Seeley, H. G.

Metatarsus: applied to basal joint of tarsus, where that differs greatly in length or otherwise from the other joints: see sarothrum.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.

The former take their rise in the Spaces between the Bones of the Metatarsus, and are terminated outwardly in the side of the first Bones of the Toes.

From The Compleat Surgeon or, the whole Art of Surgery explain'd in a most familiar Method. by Le Clerc, Charles Gabriel