aponeurosis

[ ap-uh-noo-roh-sis, -nyoo- ]

/ ˌæp ə nʊˈroʊ sɪs, -nyʊ- /

Save This Word!

noun, plural ap·o·neu·ro·ses

[ap-uh-noo-roh-seez, -nyoo-]. /ˌæp ə nʊˈroʊ siz, -nyʊ-/. Anatomy.

a whitish, fibrous membrane that connects a muscle to a bone or fascia.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of aponeurosis

1670–80; <Greek aponeúrōsis the part of a muscle becoming a tendon, equivalent to aponeurō-, variant stem of aponeuroûn to change to tendon (see apo-, neuron) + -sis-sis

OTHER WORDS FROM aponeurosis

ap·o·neu·rot·ic

[ap-uh-noo-rot-ik, -nyoo-], /ˌæp ə nʊˈrɒt ɪk, -nyʊ-/, adjective

Words nearby aponeurosis

apolune, apomict, apomixis, apomorphine, apomorphy, aponeurosis, apopemptic, apophasis, Apophis, apophony, apophthegm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aponeurosis in a sentence

The aponeurosis crosses the medial side of the insertion of M. pterygoideus dorsalis medialis.
Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged Doves|Robert L. Merz
Part of the aponeurosis becomes tendonlike in the middle of M. pterygoideus ventralis and separates its two divisions.
Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged Doves|Robert L. Merz
The insertion is tendinous on the dorsal surface of the lower mandible in common with the dorsal aponeurosis of pars profundus.
Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged Doves|Robert L. Merz
The lateral tendon of M. pseudotemporalis superficialis converges with the aponeurosis.
Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged Doves|Robert L. Merz

The tendon of origin is actually one with the ventral aponeurosis of pars profundus, which is situated in a horizontal plane.
Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged Doves|Robert L. Merz

British Dictionary definitions for aponeurosis

aponeurosis

/ (ˌæpənjʊəˈrəʊsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-siːz)

anatomy a white fibrous sheet of tissue by which certain muscles are attached to bones

Derived forms of aponeurosis

aponeurotic (ˌæpənjʊəˈrɒtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for aponeurosis

C17: via New Latin from Greek, from aponeurousthai to change into a tendon, from neuron tendon

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