Showing results for metatarsal. Search instead for retrotarsal.

metatarsal

American

[met-uh-tahr-suhl] / ˌmɛt əˈtɑr səl /

adjective

of or relating to the metatarsus, the part of the foot that includes the bones between the ankle and toes.

noun

a bone in the metatarsus.

metatarsal British

/ ˌmɛtəˈtɑːsəl /

adjective

of or relating to the metatarsus

"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

noun

any bone of the metatarsus

"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

metatarsal Scientific

/ mĕt′ə-tär′səl /

Any of the bones of the feet in humans or the back feet in animals that are located between the tarsal bones and the phalanges.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of metatarsal

First recorded in 1730–40; meta- + tarsal

Vocabulary lists containing metatarsal

Human Anatomy and Physiology - Middle School

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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:

metatarsal

The metatarsal measures 10 centimeters in length and came from a tyrannosaur that likely reached 10-12 meters and weighed several tons in life.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

He flexes his metatarsal bones to indicate where he wants a subordinate to sit.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2025

Just months before the 2006 World Cup, the former Manchester United forward once again fractured a metatarsal bone in the same foot.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2024

Ten Hag was speaking before Martinez was ruled out for the rest of the season with a fractured metatarsal bone in his foot.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 14, 2023

Not even a metatarsal of any family skeleton interested Bull Meecham if the family was not his own.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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