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metatarsal

[met-uh-tahr-suh l]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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Nearby words

  1. metastasise,
  2. metastasize,
  3. metastatic abscess,
  4. metastatic calcification,
  5. metatag,
  6. metatarsal arch,
  7. metatarsal artery,
  8. metatarsalgia,
  9. metatarsectomy,
  10. metatarsophalangeal

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for metatarsal

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

metatarsal

adj.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.