furcula

[ fur-kyuh-luh ]
/ ˈfɜr kyə lə /

noun, plural fur·cu·lae [fur-kyuh-lee]. /ˈfɜr kyəˌli/.

the forked clavicular bone of a bird; wishbone.
the ventral, forked appendage on the abdomen of a springtail that the insect uses in springing itself into the air.

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a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
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Origin of furcula

1855–60; <Latin: a forked prop. See fork, -ule

OTHER WORDS FROM furcula

fur·cu·lar, adjective

Words nearby furcula

fur brigade, furca, furcal, furcate, furcation, furcula, furculum, fur farm, furfur, furfuraceous, furfural
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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British Dictionary definitions for furcula

furcula

furculum (ˈfɜːkjʊləm)

/ (ˈfɜːkjʊlə) /

noun plural -lae (-ˌliː) or -la (-lə)

any forklike part or organ, esp the fused clavicles (wishbone) of birds

Word Origin for furcula

C19: from Latin: a forked support for a wall, diminutive of furca fork
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