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carpal

American  
[kahr-puhl] / ˈkɑr pəl /

adjective

  1. pertaining to the carpus.

    the carpal joint.

noun

  1. a carpale.

carpal British  
/ ˈkɑːpəl /

noun

  1. Also: carpale. 

    1. any bone of the wrist

    2. ( as modifier )

      carpal bones
"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
carpal Scientific  
/ kär′pəl /

  1. Relating to or involving the wrist.

  1. Any of the bones of the human wrist or the joint corresponding to the wrist in some other vertebrates, such as dinosaurs.

Other Word Forms

  • intercarpal adjective
  • supercarpal adjective

Etymology

Origin of carpal

From the New Latin word carpālis, dating back to 1735–45. See carpus, -al 1

Vocabulary lists containing carpal

Human Anatomy and Physiology - High School

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Human Anatomy and Physiology - Middle School

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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.

And don’t get me started on my strained hand with carpal tunnel syndrome from all the clicking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Other restricted procedures include liposuction, breast reduction, removal of breast implants, carpal tunnel and tattoo removal.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2025

A software engineer made the touch pad to accommodate his carpal tunnel.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025

He started using a flip phone seven years ago after developing carpal tunnel symptoms in his hands from near-constant use of his BlackBerry.

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2024

So he had had disk surgery, rotator cuff surgery, surgery for a carpal tunnel problem.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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.