popliteal

American

[pop-lit-ee-uhl, pop-li-tee-] / pɒpˈlɪt i əl, ˌpɒp lɪˈti- /

adjective

Anatomy.

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

popliteal British

/ pɒpˈlɪtɪəl, ˌpɒplɪˈtiːəl /

adjective

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

Etymology

Origin of popliteal

First recorded in 1780–90; poplite(us) + -al ¹

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.

Initially, the doctor informed Lisa Wolff that her husband had developed a blood clot in his popliteal artery and amputation might be necessary, according to the lawsuit.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025

Chen, however, told Lisa Wolff that her husband’s lower leg was ischemic and had received no blood due to Wang’s cauterization of the popliteal artery.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025

The team said the operation on the 24-year-old from Plano, Texas, took place at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Parks’ popliteal artery.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2021

The tendons of these muscles form the popliteal fossa, the diamond-shaped space at the back of the knee.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

"Itching of the right popliteal space," this after continuing for eight or nine years disappeared.

From New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers by Anshutz, Edward Pollock

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023