metacarpal

[ met-uh-kahr-puhl ]

adjectiveAnatomy.
  1. of or relating to the metacarpus.

noun
  1. a metacarpal bone.

Origin of metacarpal

1
First recorded in 1730–40; meta- + carpal

Other words from metacarpal

  • in·ter·met·a·car·pal, adjective

Words Nearby metacarpal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use metacarpal in a sentence

  • The first digit of the hand in clawed animals has the metacarpal bone short, or shorter than the others.

    Dragons of the Air | H. G. Seeley
  • Between the first and fifth or wing metacarpal are the three slender metacarpal bones which give attachment to the clawed digits.

    Dragons of the Air | H. G. Seeley
  • In Pterodactyles the metacarpal bones are, as we have seen, arranged in close contact, and take no part in stretching the wing.

    Dragons of the Air | H. G. Seeley

British Dictionary definitions for metacarpal

metacarpal

/ (ˌmɛtəˈkɑːpəl) anatomy /


adjective
  1. of or relating to the metacarpus

noun
  1. a metacarpal bone

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 metacarpal

metacarpal

[ mĕt′ə-kärpəl ]


  1. Any of the bones of the hands in humans or the forelimbs in animals that are located between the carpal bones and the phalanges.

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