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• tarsus
  tarsus

  noun

  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.
• Tarsus
  Tarsus

  noun

  a city in S Turkey, near the Mediterranean, on the Cydnus River: important seaport of ancient Cilicia; birthplace of Saint Paul.

tarsus

¹ American  

[tahr-suhs] / ˈtɑr səs /

noun

• tarsi
  plural

1. 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.

2. the small plate of connective tissue along the border of an eyelid.

3. tarsometatarsus.

4. the distal part of the leg of an insect, usually subdivided in the adult into two to five segments.

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Tarsus ² American  

[tahr-suhs] / ˈtɑr səs /

noun

1. a city in S Turkey, near the Mediterranean, on the Cydnus River: important seaport of ancient Cilicia; birthplace of Saint Paul.

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tarsus ¹ British  

/ ˈtɑːsəs /

noun

1. the bones of the ankle and heel, collectively

2. 1. the corresponding part in other mammals and in amphibians and reptiles

   2. another name for tarsometatarsus

3. the dense connective tissue supporting the free edge of each eyelid

4. the part of an insect's leg that lies distal to the tibia

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Tarsus ² British  

/ ˈtɑːsəs /

noun

1. 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)

2. 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)

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tarsus Scientific  

/ tär′səs /

• tarsi
  plural

1. The group of seven bones lying between the leg and the metatarsals and forming part of the ankle.

2. The group of bones lying between the leg and metatarsals in the hind feet in some vertebrates, such as dinosaurs and birds.

3. A fibrous plate that supports and shapes the edge of the eyelid.

4. The lower part of the leg of an arthropod, usually divided into segments.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tarsi
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tarsus

1670–80; < New Latin < Greek tarsós flat of the foot

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tarsus Tarsus tarsi

Some are sturdy leather brogues with heels extending beyond the back of the shoe; others have tongues that take their licks at the ankles, leaving even the slimmest tarsus looking like a giant redwood.

From Time Magazine Archive

Bill strong; orbits naked; tarsus naked, male with a knob on the tarsus behind; tail of sixteen feathers, short, bent down.

From British Birds in their Haunts by Rev. C. A. Johns

Bill compressed, straight, with cutting edges; upper mandible slightly hooked at the point; sides of the gape bristled; tarsus short; wings long; first primary a little shorter than the second, which is the longest.

From British Birds in their Haunts by Rev. C. A. Johns

Scutell′iform, scutellate; Scutellig′erous, provided with a scutellum; Scutelliplan′tar, having the back of the tarsus scutellate.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

In specimens from Los Tuxtlas the tarsal fold is well-developed and extends two-thirds to three-fourths the length of the tarsus; the tibiotarsal articulation reaches the nostril and sometimes slightly beyond the tip of the snout.

From A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico by William E. Duellman

Tarsus American College announced the death of its graduates Mert Doğan, his wife Duygu, and their children Mavi and Doğan, as well as another graduate's grandson Ömür Kotan.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2025

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

In the foreword, Jancic wrote, “Not since the conversion of Saul of Tarsus on the Road to Damascus have I ever heard a conversion story more radically compelling.”

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 14, 2016

Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus had no more electrifying revelation.

From Time ● Oct. 9, 2013

In 41 BCE, Mark Antony landed in Tarsus, a port city in Cilicia at the mouth of the Cydnus River.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

This force relies on the parasite’s highly adapted feet, called tarsi, which are equipped with toothed claws.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 31, 2022

Lore without feathers; tarsi short and strong, naked or feathered; wings large, the fourth primary the longest.

From British Birds in their Haunts by Rev. C. A. Johns

Tail of fourteen feathers; tarsi armed with blunt spurs in male.

From British Birds in their Haunts by Rev. C. A. Johns

Upper mandible with the cutting edge nearly straight; tarsi feathered to the toes; claws unequal, grooved beneath; wings with the fourth primary longest.

From British Birds in their Haunts by Rev. C. A. Johns

Many specimens have chiggers on the digits and tarsi.

From A Taxonomic Revision of the Leptodactylid Frog Genus Syrrhophus Cope by John D. Lynch

Related Words

• bone