bunion

[ buhn-yuh n ]

/ ˈbʌn yən /

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noun Podiatry.

inflammation of the synovial bursa of the great toe, usually resulting in enlargement of the joint and lateral displacement of the toe.

Nearby words

bungler, bunglesome, bungstarter, bungwall, bunin, bunion, bunionectomy, bunionette, bunk, bunk bed, bunker

Origin of bunion

1710–20; perhaps alteration of bunny (obsolete) lump, swelling, late Middle English bony, probably alteration of Old French buigne, buyne (French beigne) swelling, of Germanic orig.; cf. beignet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bunion

In the general relaxation Dolly Beatty slipped off her tightest shoe, one bunion and four corns clamoring loudly for room.
Green Valley|Katharine Reynolds
And, stepping forward in the boat, he kicked Michael on a bunion.
The Plow-Woman|Eleanor Gates
Owing, I fancy, to a bunion, she was so leisurely a walker that it was I who must set my pace to hers.
Memoirs of a Midget|Walter de la Mare
A bursa may form beneath a corn, and if inflamed constitutes one form of bunion.
Manual of Surgery|Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles

When a bunion is forming it may be stopped by poulticing and carefully opening it with a lancet.
Burroughs' Encyclopaedia of Astounding Facts and Useful Information, 1889|Barkham Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for bunion

bunion

/ (ˈbʌnjən) /

noun

swelling of the first joint of the big toe, which is displaced to one side. An inflamed bursa forms over the joint

Word Origin for bunion

C18: perhaps from obsolete bunny a swelling, of uncertain origin

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

Medicine definitions for bunion

bunion

[ bŭn′yən ]

n.

A localized swelling at either the medial or dorsal aspect of the first joint of the big toe, caused by an inflamed bursa.