phalange
Americannoun
-
phalanges
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of phalange
First recorded in 1550–60; back formation from phalanges
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.
See Examples For:
The shorter and more thick-set the nail phalange is, giving the appearance of a club, the more ungovernable is the person in his or her temper.
From Palmistry for All by Cheiro
The first joint or nail phalange of the thumb, when long and thin, denotes the opposite of the above characteristics.
From Palmistry for All by Cheiro
Each phalange was designed to be an ideal democracy, electing its officers and governing itself.
From Socialism and Democracy in Europe by Samuel P. Orth
The dwelling-place of a phalange will be called a phalanstère—an edifice commodious and elegant, wherein, while the convenient distribution of the interior will be first considered, the claims of architecture will not be forgotten.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 349, November, 1844 by Various
In both the crown of the head is elevated, the thumb and first phalange of the middle finger are very short, and the premolars are 2/3.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 2 "Chicago, University of" to "Chiton" by Various
She uses it to tap fatefully on trees and listen for the tiny movements of tasty grubs within, which she then extracts using those same Nosferatu phalanges.
From Salon ● May 11, 2025
On Sunday, Barker shared graphic photos of his blood-stained pants and sanguinary phalanges, which took a beating after Blink-182’s set in Manchester, England.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
I'd start with a small, manageable story: one hand has twenty-seven bones, split into three types—the carpals, the metacarpals, and the slippery phalanges.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2022
The phalanges fall into line like a picket fence with boards of varying lengths, the knuckles unknobby.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2021
We have five fingers because we have descended from a Devonian fish that had five phalanges or bones in its fins.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
