metatarsus

[met-uh-tahr-suh s]

noun, plural met·a·tar·si

[met-uh-tahr-sahy] /ˌmɛt əˈtɑr saɪ/. Anatomy, Zoology.

the part of a foot or hind limb, especially its bony structure, included between the tarsus and the toes or phalanges.

Origin of metatarsus

From New Latin, dating back to 1670–80; see origin at meta-, tarsus

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

Examples from the Web for metatarsus

Historical Examples of metatarsus

To the tarsus succeeds the metatarsus, whose form reminds us very much of that of the metacarpals.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals
douard Cuyer
Met a tar' sal, one of the bones of the metatarsus, between the ankle and the toes.
A Guide for the Study of Animals
Worrallo Whitney
There is great similarity between Dinosaurs and Pterodactyles seen in the region of the instep, known as the metatarsus.
Dragons of the Air
H. G. Seeley
The bones of the carpus, tarsus, metacarpus and metatarsus are all free; the toes are four to two in number on each foot.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
The metatarsus is bald, and the pollex and hallux are very well developed.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard

British Dictionary definitions for metatarsus

metatarsus

noun plural -si (-saɪ)

the skeleton of the human foot between the toes and the tarsus, consisting of five long bones
the corresponding skeletal part in other vertebrates

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

metatarsus in Medicine

metatarsus

[mĕt′ə-tär′səs]

n. pl. met•a•tar•si (-sī, -sē)

The middle part of the foot that forms the instep and includes the five bones between the toes and ankle.