tarsometatarsus

American  

[tahr-soh-met-uh-tahr-suhs] / ˌtɑr soʊˌmɛt əˈtɑr səs /

noun

Ornithology.

plural

tarsometatarsi

1. the large bone in the lower leg of a bird with which the toe bones articulate, formed by the fusion of tarsal and metatarsal bones.

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tarsometatarsus British  

/ ˌtɑːsəʊˌmɛtəˈtɑːsəs /

noun

1. a bone in the lower part of a bird's leg consisting of the metatarsal bones and some of the tarsal bones fused together

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Other Word Forms

• tarsometatarsal adjective

Etymology

Origin of tarsometatarsus

First recorded in 1850–55; tarso- + metatarsus

Example Sentences

Named for a tarsometatarsus 29.6 mm long, it must have been a tiny turkey.

From Scientific American • Jan. 16, 2013

The insertion is tendinous on the posterior surface of the hypotarsus and along the posterolateral ridge of the tarsometatarsus.

From Myology and Serology of the Avian Family Fringillidae A Taxonomic Study by Stallcup, William B.

The anterior branch passes over the lateral surface of the external condyle to the posterior surface of the tarsometatarsus and there unites with the tendon of the m. flexor perforatus digiti III.

From Myology and Serology of the Avian Family Fringillidae A Taxonomic Study by Stallcup, William B.

About midway down the tarsometatarsus this tendon becomes ossified.

From Myology and Serology of the Avian Family Fringillidae A Taxonomic Study by Stallcup, William B.

The tendon continues along the anterior surface of the tarsometatarsus to a point immediately above the bases of the toes and there gives rise to three branches, one to the anterior surface of each foretoe.

From Myology and Serology of the Avian Family Fringillidae A Taxonomic Study by Stallcup, William B.