furcula

[ fur-kyuh-luh ]

/ ˈfɜr kyə lə /

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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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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. 2022

How to use furcula in a sentence

The coracoids are large, and the clavicles are nearly always united forming the furcula.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The extremities of the furcula, where articulated to the coracoids, vary considerably in outline.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I.|Charles Darwin
The size and shape of the perforations in the sternum, and the size and divergence of the arms of the furcula, differ.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I.|Charles Darwin
In a pouter, the furcula had not been lengthened proportionally with the increased length of the body.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I.|Charles Darwin

The furcula is large, and the scapula has a well developed acromion.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

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