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tarsus
tarsusnounthe bones of the proximal segment of the foot; the bones between the tibia and the metatarsus, contributing to the construction of the ankle joint.
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Tarsus
Tarsusnouna city in S Turkey, near the Mediterranean, on the Cydnus River: important seaport of ancient Cilicia; birthplace of Saint Paul.
tarsus
1 Americannoun
plural
tarsi-
Anatomy, Zoology. the bones of the proximal segment of the foot; the bones between the tibia and the metatarsus, contributing to the construction of the ankle joint.
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the small plate of connective tissue along the border of an eyelid.
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the distal part of the leg of an insect, usually subdivided in the adult into two to five segments.
noun
noun
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the bones of the ankle and heel, collectively
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the corresponding part in other mammals and in amphibians and reptiles
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another name for tarsometatarsus
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the dense connective tissue supporting the free edge of each eyelid
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the part of an insect's leg that lies distal to the tibia
noun
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a city in SE Turkey, on the Tarsus River: site of ruins of ancient Tarsus, capital of Cilicia, and birthplace of St Paul. Pop: 231 000 (2005 est)
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Ancient name: Cydnus. a river in SE Turkey, in Cilicia, rising in the Taurus Mountains and flowing south past Tarsus to the Mediterranean. Length: 153 km (95 miles)
plural
tarsi-
The group of seven bones lying between the leg and the metatarsals and forming part of the ankle.
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The group of bones lying between the leg and metatarsals in the hind feet in some vertebrates, such as dinosaurs and birds.
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A fibrous plate that supports and shapes the edge of the eyelid.
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The lower part of the leg of an arthropod, usually divided into segments.
Etymology
Origin of tarsus
1670–80; < New Latin < Greek tarsós flat of the foot
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.
Some are sturdy leather brogues with heels extending beyond the back of the shoe; others have tongues that take their licks at the ankles, leaving even the slimmest tarsus looking like a giant redwood.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Plumage rosy red; wing-coverts crimson; wing-feathers black; bill pale yellowish red, apical half black; feet dark violet-grey: whole length 39·0 inches, wing 15·0, tarsus 11·0.
From Argentine Ornithology, Volume II (of 2) A descriptive catalogue of the birds of the Argentine Republic. by Hudson, W. H. (William Henry)
Bill moderate, strong, sharp-edged above, compressed, slightly decurved; hind toe high on the tarsus; first primary nearly equal to the second, which is longest; tail even, or but slightly forked.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
Two central tail-feathers tapering from the base, pointed, and projecting six inches; tarsus less than two inches.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
Leg and tarsus long, the lower portion of the former generally destitute of feathers; bill long or moderate; toes three or four, more or less connected by a membrane at the base, sometimes lobated.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
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.