olecranon
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
The proximal ulna also has the olecranon process, forming an expanded posterior region, and the coronoid process and ulnar tuberosity on its anterior aspect.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
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
Modifications.—Dupuytren used to saw through the ulna, leaving the olecranon attached.
From A Manual of the Operations of Surgery For the Use of Senior Students, House Surgeons, and Junior Practitioners by Joseph Bell
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