olecranon

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

noun

Anatomy.

1. the part of the ulna beyond the elbow joint.

olecranon

/ ˌəʊlɪˈkreɪnəl, əʊˈlɛkrəˌnɒn, ˌəʊlɪˈkreɪnən, əʊˈlɛkrənəl /

noun

1. anatomy the bony projection of the ulna behind the elbow joint

Other Word Forms

• olecranal adjective
• olecranial adjective
• olecranian adjective
• olecranioid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of olecranon¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of olecranon¹

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

Example Sentences

Floyd suffered the unusual injury — to the olecranon, the bony tip of the ulna that sticks out at the curve of the elbow — while pitching against Washington on Thursday.

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The ulna is rudimentary, being represented by little more than the olecranon.

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From this origin it is directed towards the elbow, to be inserted into the olecranon, either directly or by the medium of the tendon of the long portion.

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Its anterior fossa for the reception of the coronoid process is filled up with a bony growth, and, at the same time, the olecranon process is curved strongly downwards.

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The ulna is best seen at its proximal end in the specimens from the Cambridge Greensand, where there is a terminal olecranon ossification forming an oblique articulation, which frequently comes away and is lost.

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