popliteal

[ pop-lit-ee-uh l, pop-li-tee- ]

/ pɒpˈlɪt i əl, ˌpɒp lɪˈti- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR popliteal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Anatomy.

of or relating to the ham, or part of the leg back of the knee.

RELATED WORDS

patella

Nearby words

Origin of popliteal

First recorded in 1780–90; poplite(us) + -al¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for popliteal

The epiphysis at the lower end of the femur may be displaced into the ham and press on the popliteal vessels.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles
The popliteal depression is deep, and the summit of the great trochanter rises considerably above the level of the head.
Extinct Birds|Walter Rothschild
A number of popliteal cases treated in this way did perfectly.
Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900|George Henry Makins
This was a case of popliteal aneurism, operations for which had heretofore proved pretty uniformly fatal.
A History of Science, Volume 4(of 5)|Henry Smith Williams

A double superficial femoral, both branches of which may unite and form the popliteal, as in Sir Charles Bell's well-known case.
A Manual of the Operations of Surgery|Joseph Bell

British Dictionary definitions for popliteal

popliteal

/ (pɒpˈlɪtɪəl, ˌpɒplɪˈtiːəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or near the part of the leg behind the knee

Word Origin for popliteal

C18: from New Latin popliteus the muscle behind the knee joint, from Latin poples the ham of the knee

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

Word Origin and History for popliteal

popliteal

adj.

1786, with -al (1) + Modern Latin popliteus (n.), 1704, short for popliteus (musculus), from poples "ham (of the leg)," which is of unknown origin.

Medicine definitions for popliteal

popliteal

[ pŏp-lĭt′ē-əl, pŏp′lĭ-tē′əl ]

adj.

Relating to the poples.