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tarsus
tarsusnounthe bones of the proximal segment of the foot; the bones between the tibia and the metatarsus, contributing to the construction of the ankle joint.
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Tarsus
Tarsusnouna city in S Turkey, near the Mediterranean, on the Cydnus River: important seaport of ancient Cilicia; birthplace of Saint Paul.
tarsus
1 Americannoun
plural
tarsi-
Anatomy, Zoology. the bones of the proximal segment of the foot; the bones between the tibia and the metatarsus, contributing to the construction of the ankle joint.
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the small plate of connective tissue along the border of an eyelid.
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the distal part of the leg of an insect, usually subdivided in the adult into two to five segments.
noun
noun
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the bones of the ankle and heel, collectively
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the corresponding part in other mammals and in amphibians and reptiles
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another name for tarsometatarsus
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the dense connective tissue supporting the free edge of each eyelid
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the part of an insect's leg that lies distal to the tibia
noun
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a city in SE Turkey, on the Tarsus River: site of ruins of ancient Tarsus, capital of Cilicia, and birthplace of St Paul. Pop: 231 000 (2005 est)
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Ancient name: Cydnus. a river in SE Turkey, in Cilicia, rising in the Taurus Mountains and flowing south past Tarsus to the Mediterranean. Length: 153 km (95 miles)
plural
tarsi-
The group of seven bones lying between the leg and the metatarsals and forming part of the ankle.
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The group of bones lying between the leg and metatarsals in the hind feet in some vertebrates, such as dinosaurs and birds.
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A fibrous plate that supports and shapes the edge of the eyelid.
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The lower part of the leg of an arthropod, usually divided into segments.
Etymology
Origin of tarsus
1670–80; < New Latin < Greek tarsós flat of the foot
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.
This wasn’t really the plan, any more than Saul of Tarsus planned to become Paul the Apostle on the road to Damascus.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2023
Paul of Tarsus was on the road to Damascus when he got the call; Churchill heard Neville Chamberlain resign; Donald Trump rode down a gilded stairway.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 15, 2015
The courthouse in the southern Turkish city of Tarsus is not big enough to hold them all, but hundreds of supporters massed outside as the first hearing got under way on Friday.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2015
On Friday hundreds of women gathered outside the courthouse in Tarsus, southern Turkey, calling for action to protect women.
From The Guardian • Jun. 12, 2015
Mark Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus to answer for her conduct.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.