bursa
noun
a pouch, sac, or vesicle, especially a sac containing synovia, to facilitate motion, as between a tendon and a bone.
bursa
1 American
[bur-suh]
/ ˈbɜr sə /
noun
-
bursae,
plural
-
bursas
plural
Bursa
2
American
[boor -sah]
/ burˈsɑ /
noun
bursa
1
British
/ ˈbɜːsə /
noun
-
a small fluid-filled sac that reduces friction between movable parts of the body, esp at joints
-
zoology any saclike cavity or structure
Bursa
2
British
/ ˈbɜːsə /
noun
bursa
Scientific
/ bûr′sə /
-
bursae
plural
bursa
Cultural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of bursa
First recorded in 1795–1805; from New Latin, Late Latin bursa “bag, pouch, purse,” from Greek býrsa “hide, leather”
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.
See Examples For:
McVay said a few days later that a bursa sac in Nacua’s knee had burst.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024
When the bursa was removed, strength of the undamaged tendon deteriorated and the bone quality deteriorated.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
Thomopoulos and Marshall explored this possibility by injecting corticosteroid microspheres into the bursa of their rat model after tendon injury.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
Small fluid-filled sacs called bursa, which normally cushion the joint, may instead swell and ache.
From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2022
The tendo-calcaneus is detached from the calcaneus, the bursa dissected out, and the tendon replaced.
From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Alexis Thomson
The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for January delivery is up 5 ringgit at 4,797 ringgit a ton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for November delivery is up 18 ringgit at 4,903 ringgit a ton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for November delivery rose 12 ringgit to 4,819 ringgit a ton, according to LSEG.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for October delivery is up 28 ringgit at 4,657 ringgit a ton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
“In Bursa we have all kind of birds. Green, yellow, red. All kind. Little birds but very beautiful. Like made from glass.”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Dolphins and other toothed whales, such as the beluga, echolocate via a specialized organ called the dorsal bursae, which sits at the top of their head, close to the blowhole.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 3, 2021
Irradiated chickens with no bursae produced no antibodies when injected with either bovine serum albumin, a protein derived from cattle, or the bacterium Brucella abortus.
From Nature ● Jan. 5, 2015
Three major bursae and a fat pad are part of the complex joint that unites the femur and tibia of the leg.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Subcutaneous bursae prevent friction between the skin and an underlying bone, submuscular bursae protect muscles from rubbing against a bone or another muscle, and a subtendinous bursa prevents friction between bone and a muscle tendon.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
In a general way, inflammation and other affections of bursae and thecae are considered very similar to like affections of joints.
From Lameness of the Horse Veterinary Practitioners' Series, No. 1 by John Victor Lacroix
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