metatarsal

[ met-uh-tahr-suhl ]

/ ˌmɛt əˈtɑr səl /

Anatomy

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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.

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Origin of metatarsal

First recorded in 1730–40; meta- + tarsal

OTHER WORDS FROM metatarsal

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

Words nearby metatarsal

metastasize, metastatic, metastatic abscess, metastatic calcification, meta tag, metatarsal, metatarsal arch, metatarsal artery, metatarsalgia, metatarsectomy, metatarsophalangeal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use metatarsal in a sentence

All specimens from Arteaga have two palmar tubercles; the inner and outer metatarsal tubercles are subequal in size.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacn, Mxico|William E. Duellman
There is no evidence of a pulley joint between the metatarsal and the adjacent phalange.
Dragons of the Air|H. G. Seeley
The most common site is over the articulation of the metatarsal bone with the phalanx of the first or last toe.
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin|Henry Weightman Stelwagon
The fore-feet have four complete toes (fig. 3, a), but there are only three hind-toes, with a rudiment of the fifth metatarsal.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7|Various

The five digits of the foot each consist of a metatarsal and of a certain number of phalanges.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

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

Medical definitions for metatarsal

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.

Scientific 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.