scapula
Americannoun
plural
scapulas, scapulae-
Anatomy. either of two flat, triangular bones, each forming the back part of a shoulder in humans; shoulder blade.
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Zoology. a dorsal bone of the pectoral girdle.
noun
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Nontechnical name: shoulder blade. either of two large flat triangular bones, one on each side of the back part of the shoulder in man
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the corresponding bone in most vertebrates
plural
scapulae-
Either of two flat, triangular bones forming part of the shoulder. In humans and other primates, the scapulae lie on the upper part of the back on either side of the spine.
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Also called shoulder blade
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See more at skeleton
Etymology
Origin of scapula
1570–80; < Latin: shoulder
Explanation
Your scapula is your shoulder blade. The scapula connects the collar bone to the upper arm. The scapula is the anatomical term for the flat, triangle-shaped bone that makes up a human's shoulder. Other animals have similar bones, often described as scapular. The word scapula means "shoulder" in Late Latin, from the Latin root scapulae, or "shoulder blades." One guess about the word's origin says the original meaning of scapulae was "spades or shovels," based on their similar shapes.
Vocabulary lists containing scapula
Human Anatomy and Physiology - High School
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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.
Belgian Evenepoel, the 2022 Vuelta a Espana winner, suffered a fracture to his right collarbone and his right scapula and will have an operation on his collarbone.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2024
A more experienced Ph.D. student, Javier Torres Cervantes, deftly inserts a tiny radio transponder under the bat’s scapula for identification the next time it’s captured.
From Science Magazine • Oct. 11, 2023
Schanuel is nursing a sore scapula, though is hoping to be back soon after getting the last two games off.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2023
The four-time All-Star didn’t make his first big-league start last year until Aug. 2 after being shut down late in spring training because of a stress reaction in his right scapula.
From Washington Times • Jun. 6, 2023
The scapula is long and slender, the supra-scapular border being rounded, and slowly and imperfectly ossified.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 6 "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" by Various
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.
