femur

American  

[fee-mer] / ˈfi mər /

noun

plural

femurs, femora

1. 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.

2. Zoology. a corresponding bone of the leg or hind limb of an animal.

3. Entomology. the third segment of the leg of an insect (counting from the base), situated between the trochanter and the tibia.

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femur British  

/ ˈfiːmə /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: thighbone.  the longest thickest bone of the human skeleton, articulating with the pelvis above and the knee below

2. the corresponding bone in other vertebrates

3. the segment of an insect's leg nearest to the body

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femur Scientific  

/ fē′mər /

1. The long bone of the thigh or of the upper portion of the hind leg.

2. See more at skeleton

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Etymology

Origin of femur

1555–65; < Latin: thigh

Example Sentences

Researchers have so far recovered 49 bone pieces including a femur, vertebrae and ribs, it added.

From Barron's

"Mum tried to get to the bathroom in the night, slipped on water from a leak the hotel had already been told about, and fell. We later learned she'd broken her femur."

From BBC

An MRI eventually revealed that the top of his femur, or thigh bone, was near fracture.

From The Wall Street Journal

The ACL, which connects the shin bone to the femur, is a main stabilizing force in the knee and protects the lower leg from sliding forward.

From Los Angeles Times

Evidence includes a hominin femur marked by clear signs of gnawing.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• groin