metatarsal

[ met-uh-tahr-suh l ]

/ ˌmɛt əˈtɑr səl /

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.

Nearby words

metastasis, metastasize, metastatic abscess, metastatic calcification, metatag, metatarsal, metatarsal arch, metatarsal artery, metatarsalgia, metatarsectomy, metatarsophalangeal

Origin of metatarsal

First recorded in 1730–40; meta- + tarsal

Related forms

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

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

Examples from the Web for metatarsal

A pad across the ball of the foot behind the metatarsal heads, also brings the toes down.
Surgery, with Special Reference to Podiatry|Maximilian Stern
Hind-feet with no trace of first toe externally, but the metatarsal bone is present.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 7|Various
Each digit consists of a metatarsal and of a varying number of phalanges.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The tarsal and metatarsal bones are united so as to give the foot an arched form, convex above, and concave 45 below.
A Treatise on Anatomy, Physiology, and Hygiene (Revised Edition)|Calvin Cutter

First hind toe rudimentary, clawless or absent; its metatarsal bone always present.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for metatarsal

metatarsal

/ (ˌmɛtəˈtɑːsəl) anatomy /

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

Medicine definitions for metatarsal

metatarsal

[ mĕt′ə-tär′səl ]

adj.

Of or relating to the metatarsus.

n.

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.

Science definitions for metatarsal

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.