humerus

[ hyoo-mer-uhs or, often, yoo- ]

noun,plural hu·mer·i [hyoo-muh-rahy, or, often, yoo-]. /ˈhyu məˌraɪ, or, often, ˈyu-/. Anatomy.
  1. the long bone in the arm of humans extending from the shoulder to the elbow.

  1. Zoology. a corresponding bone, structure, or region in the forelimbs of other animals or in the wings of birds or insects.

Origin of humerus

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin (h)umerus shoulder; cognate with Greek ômos,Gothic ams,Sanskrit ámsas

Words that may be confused with humerus

Words Nearby humerus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use humerus in a sentence

  • He slowly improved with the exception of a pain in the left humerus, anteriorily, and in the upper part of the middle third.

  • The shaft of the humerus is always stouter than that of the femur, though different genera differ in this respect.

    Dragons of the Air | H. G. Seeley
  • Fourthly, the prolongation of the coracoid bone beyond the articulation for the humerus, as in a Bird.

    Dragons of the Air | H. G. Seeley
  • The metacarpal bones are much longer than the bones of the fore-arm, and about twice the length of the humerus.

    Dragons of the Air | H. G. Seeley
  • The ball must therefore be very near the plate and behind the head of the humerus.

    Gunshot Roentgenograms | Clyde S. Ford

British Dictionary definitions for humerus

humerus

/ (ˈhjuːmərəs) /


nounplural -meri (-məˌraɪ)
  1. the bone that extends from the shoulder to the elbow

  2. the corresponding bone in other vertebrates

Origin of humerus

1
C17: from Latin umerus; related to Gothic ams shoulder, Greek ōmos

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

Scientific definitions for humerus

humerus

[ hyōōmər-əs ]


Plural humeri (hyōōmər-ī′)
  1. The bone of the upper arm or the upper portion of the foreleg. See more at skeleton.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.