femur
Americannoun
plural
femurs, femora-
Anatomy. a bone in the human leg extending from the pelvis to the knee, that is the longest, largest, and strongest in the body; thighbone.
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Zoology. a corresponding bone of the leg or hind limb of an animal.
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Entomology. the third segment of the leg of an insect (counting from the base), situated between the trochanter and the tibia.
noun
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Nontechnical name: thighbone. the longest thickest bone of the human skeleton, articulating with the pelvis above and the knee below
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the corresponding bone in other vertebrates
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the segment of an insect's leg nearest to the body
Etymology
Origin of femur
1555–65; < Latin: thigh
Explanation
Your femur is the large bone inside your thigh. The femur is the strongest bone in the human body. In between your knee and hip joints is your femur, the only bone in the upper part of your leg. The femur isn't just strong, but is also the longest of your bones. Four-legged animals have femurs as well. When this word was originally used in English, it was an architectural term. In Latin, femur means "thigh" or "thighbone."
Vocabulary lists containing femur
Human Anatomy and Physiology - High School
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Life Science: Human Anatomy and Physiology
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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.
Femur bones, which are typically split lengthwise, roasted, and spooned, are the longest bones in a cow’s body, and filled with marrow.
From Salon • Jan. 5, 2020
Figure 6.5 Head of Femur Showing Red and Yellow Marrow The head of the femur contains both yellow and red marrow.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
Figure 8.16 Femur and Patella The femur is the single bone of the thigh region.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
Vara following Fracture of Neck of Femur in a child.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander
Shaft of the Femur after Acute Osteomyelitis 444 119.
From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Thomson, Alexis
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.
