metatarsal

[met-uh-tahr-suh l]Anatomy

adjective

of or relating to the metatarsus, the part of the foot that includes the bones between the ankle and toes.

noun

a bone in the metatarsus.

Origin of metatarsal

First recorded in 1730–40; meta- + tarsal

Related formsmet·a·tar·sal·ly, adverbin·ter·met·a·tar·sal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for metatarsal

Historical Examples of metatarsal

It articulates with the second metatarsal and with the navicular.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
It articulates with the third metatarsal and with the navicular.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
In the hind-limb the hallux is small, and consists of the metatarsal only.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
In front of the metatarsal bones are placed the toes, which are connected with the metatarsal bones by joints.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley
In the dog and the cat, it is inserted into the ligamentous apparatus of the tarsus, or into the base of the second metatarsal.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals
douard Cuyer

British Dictionary definitions for metatarsal

metatarsal

adjective

of or relating to the metatarsus

noun

any bone of the metatarsus

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 metatarsal

adj.

1739, from metatarsus (1670s), from Modern Latin metatarsus, from meta- (see meta-) + tarsus (see tarsus). As a noun from 1854.

metatarsal in Medicine

metatarsal

[mĕt′ə-tär′səl]

adj.

Of or relating to the metatarsus.

Any of the five long bones that form the anterior portion of the foot and articulate posteriorly with the three cuneiform and the cuboid bones and anteriorly with the five proximal phalanges.

metatarsal in Science

metatarsal

[mĕt′ə-tär′səl]

Any of the bones of the feet in humans or the back feet in animals that are located between the tarsal bones and the phalanges.