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.
the small plate of connective tissue along the border of an eyelid.
the distal part of the leg of an insect, usually subdivided in the adult into two to five segments.
the bones of the ankle and heel, collectively
the corresponding part in other mammals and in amphibians and reptiles
another name for tarsometatarsus
the dense connective tissue supporting the free edge of each eyelid
the part of an insect's leg that lies distal to the tibia
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)
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)
The group of seven bones lying between the leg and the metatarsals and forming part of the ankle.
The group of bones lying between the leg and metatarsals in the hind feet in some vertebrates, such as dinosaurs and birds.
A fibrous plate that supports and shapes the edge of the eyelid.
The lower part of the leg of an arthropod, usually divided into segments.
1670–80; < New Latin < Greek tarsós flat of the foot
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
In other quadrupeds, the articulations which bind together the bones of the tarsus possess a little more freedom of movement.
From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by Cuyer, ?douard
Description.—Plumage white; bill, naked head, and neck and feet black; naked crop in life red: whole length 54·0 inches, wing 26·0, tail 9·5, tarsus 11·5.
From Argentine Ornithology, Volume II (of 2) A descriptive catalogue of the birds of the Argentine Republic. by Hudson, W. H. (William Henry)
Hind toe articulated on the inner surface of the tarsus, united to other toes by a web.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
Bill with an elevated tubercle at the base, depressed in the middle; nostrils large, pervious; lower portion of tarsus in front with a row of transverse scutellæ.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
Tarsus American College announced the death of its graduates Mert Doğan, his wife Duygu, and their children Mavi and Doğan, as well as another graduate's grandson Ömür Kotan.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2025
This wasn’t really the plan, any more than Saul of Tarsus planned to become Paul the Apostle on the road to Damascus.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2023
Bruce includes an excerpt from the Apocalypse of Paul, an apocryphal third-century text that narrates a Revelation-style reverie experienced by Paul of Tarsus.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 14, 2019
On Friday hundreds of women gathered outside the courthouse in Tarsus, southern Turkey, calling for action to protect women.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 12, 2015
A Life of Fun and Frolic In Alexandria, Mark Antony and Cleopatra happily picked up where they had left off in Tarsus.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
This force relies on the parasite’s highly adapted feet, called tarsi, which are equipped with toothed claws.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 31, 2022
Many specimens have chiggers on the digits and tarsi.
From A Taxonomic Revision of the Leptodactylid Frog Genus Syrrhophus Cope by Lynch, John D.
Bill slightly compressed, not covered with a membranous skin; edges of the mandibles unarmed, or but slightly toothed; wings short; legs placed far behind; tarsi very much compressed; toes four.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
Tail of fourteen feathers; tarsi armed with blunt spurs in male.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
Bill strong; eyebrows naked, adorned with scarlet papillæ; tarsi feathered, without spurs; front toes naked, with pectinated margins; hind toe larger than the nail.
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.
