humerus

[ hyoo-mer-uh s or, often, yoo- ]

/ ˈhyu mər əs or, often, ˈyu- /

noun, plural hu·mer·i [hyoo-muh-rahy, or, often, yoo-] /ˈhyu məˌraɪ, or, often, ˈyu-/. Anatomy.

the long bone in the arm of humans extending from the shoulder to the elbow.

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

Nearby words

Origin of humerus

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

Can be confusedhumerus humorous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for humerus

Three weeks later the humerus was united; the fracture was evidently the result of passing contact, and not of direct impact.
Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900|George Henry Makins
The humerus was about 12 inches long; all the bones were in small pieces.
Archeological Investigations|Gerard Fowke
Femur and humerus not bent upon lower leg and fore-arm in a position of rest.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
The head of the humerus in the human body projects above the tuberosities.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals|douard Cuyer

The missile lies behind the head of the humerus, under conditions similar to the cases shown in plates 83 and 84.
Gunshot Roentgenograms|Clyde S. Ford

British Dictionary definitions for humerus

humerus

/ (ˈhjuːmərəs) /

noun plural -meri (-məˌraɪ)

the bone that extends from the shoulder to the elbow

the corresponding bone in other vertebrates

Word Origin for humerus

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

Word Origin and History for humerus

humerus

1706, "bone of the upper arm," originally (14c.) "shoulder," a misspelled borrowing of Latin umerus "shoulder," from PIE *om(e)so- (cf. Sanskrit amsah, Greek omos, Old Norse ass, Gothic ams "shoulder").

Medicine definitions for humerus

humerus

[ hyōō′mər-əs ]

n. pl. hu•mer•i (-mə-rī′)

The long bone of the arm or forelimb, extending from the shoulder to the elbow.

Science definitions for humerus

humerus

[ hyōō′mər-əs ]

Plural humeri (hyōō′mər-ī′)

The bone of the upper arm or the upper portion of the foreleg. See more at skeleton.