olecranon

[ oh-lek-ruh-non, oh-li-krey-non ]

/ oʊˈlɛk rəˌnɒn, ˌoʊ lɪˈkreɪ nɒn /

Save This Word!

noun Anatomy.

the part of the ulna beyond the elbow joint.

QUIZ

FIRE UP YOUR VOCAB FOR A "RED" SYNONYMS QUIZ

No fire engine reds here, only a fierce collection of vibrant words for the color red to test yourself on.

Question 1 of 7

What does "amaranth" mean?

a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness

an imaginary, undying flower

a mythical creature

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of olecranon

1720–30; <New Latin <Greek ōlékrānon point of the elbow, short for ōlenókrānon, equivalent to ōlén(ē) elbow + -o--o- + krān(íon) head (see cranium) + -on neuter noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM olecranon

o·lec·ra·nal

[oh-lek-ruh-nl, oh-li-kreyn-l], /oʊˈlɛk rə nl, ˌoʊ lɪˈkreɪn l/, o·le·cra·ni·al, o·le·cra·ni·an, o·le·cra·ni·oid, adjective

Words nearby olecranon

Olean, oleander, olearia, oleaster, oleate, olecranon, OLED, olefiant gas, olefin, olefine, olefin fiber

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use olecranon in a sentence

Insertion of this large muscular mass is effected by means of several tendons to the olecranon.
Lameness of the Horse|John Victor Lacroix
The ulna or postaxial bone is somewhat expanded distally, but is not drawn out proximally into an olecranon process.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
Its proximal end is large and convex, but is not drawn out into an olecranon process.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The ulna of Notoryctes has an enormous hooked olecranon which causes the bone to be nearly twice as long as the radius.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

In the Carnivora vera the humerus has large tuberosities, a prominent deltoid ridge and a deep olecranon fossa.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for olecranon

olecranon

/ (əʊˈlɛkrəˌnɒn, ˌəʊlɪˈkreɪnən) /

noun

anatomy the bony projection of the ulna behind the elbow joint

Derived forms of olecranon

olecranal (əʊˈlɛkrənəl, ˌəʊlɪˈkreɪnəl), adjective

Word Origin for olecranon

C18: from Greek, shortened from ōlenokrānon, from ōlenē elbow + krānion head

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 olecranon

olecranon

[ ō-lĕk′rə-nŏn′ ]

The large process on the upper end of the ulna that projects behind the elbow joint and forms the point of the elbow.

Other words from olecranon

o•lec′ra•nal (-nəl) null null adj.