metatarsus

[ met-uh-tahr-suhs ]

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

Words Nearby metatarsus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use metatarsus in a sentence

His feet are strong and made for digging; the metatarsus is elongated, and he has five toes on each foot.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
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 toes and tarso-metatarsus are usually featherless and are covered either with granular structures or with well-formed scales.
The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
In Gallinaceous birds the tarso-metatarsus bears a bony outgrowth which is sheathed in horn and forms a spur.
The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
The distal tarsals fuse with the second, third and fourth metatarsals, forming a compound bone, the tarso-metatarsus.
The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for metatarsus

metatarsus

/ (ˌmɛtəˈtɑːsəs) /

nounplural -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

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