olecranon

American  

[oh-lek-ruh-non, oh-li-krey-non] / oʊˈlɛk rəˌnɒn, ˌoʊ lɪˈkreɪ nɒn /

noun

Anatomy.

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

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olecranon British  

/ ˌəʊlɪˈkreɪnəl, əʊˈlɛkrəˌnɒn, ˌəʊlɪˈkreɪnən, əʊˈlɛkrənəl /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

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

Explanation

The olecranon is the pointy part of your elbow. It’s on the end of the ulna. If you stuck your elbow in clay, the olecranon would leave the biggest dent. The olecranon — or olecranon process — is the part of your elbow that pokes out. The root of this word, the cranon (like cranium) comes from the Greek word for “skull or head” and indeed it’s like the head of your elbow. When you extend your arm, the olecranon can’t be seen. When you bend your arm, there the olecranon is again, ready to elbow someone out of the way.

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.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2014

Examples include the prepatellar bursa located over the kneecap and the olecranon bursa at the tip of the elbow.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Similarly, the posterior humerus has the olecranon fossa, a larger depression that receives the olecranon process of the ulna when the forearm is fully extended.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The posterior and superior portions of the proximal ulna make up the olecranon process, which forms the bony tip of the elbow.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The olecranon process of the ulna being slightly developed, it follows that the olecranon fossa is not large; neither is the coronoid.

From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by Cuyer, ?douard