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Synonyms

thigh

American  
[thahy] / θaɪ /

noun

thighs plural
  1. the part of the lower limb in humans between the hip and the knee.

  2. the corresponding part of the hind limb of other animals; the femoral region.

  3. (in birds)

    1. the true femoral region that is hidden by the skin or feathers of the body.

    2. the segment below, containing the fibula and tibia.

  4. Entomology. the femur.


thigh British  
/ θaɪ /

noun

  1. the part of the leg between the hip and the knee in man

  2. the corresponding part in other vertebrates and insects

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of thigh

before 900; Middle English thi, thigh ( e ), the ( h ), Old English thīoh, thēoh; cognate with Dutch dij, Old High German dioh, Old Norse thjō

Explanation

Your thigh is the part of your leg between your hip and your knee. Your thighs are probably the strongest parts of your body. Humans' thighs have just one extremely strong bone, the femur, and many muscles, including the hamstrings and quadriceps. Your thigh is joined to your torsos with a ball-and-socket hip joint, and to your lower leg by the hinge joint of a knee. The word thigh comes from a Germanic source that means "the thick or fat part of the leg."

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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.

Thigh muscle scans were used to measure volume of muscle and fat.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

In early days, Ms. Sturino said she was met with “giggling” and “snickers” when she came out with Thigh Rescue, an anti-chafe stick, but now Megababe is sold in Target and Ulta Beauty stores.

From New York Times • Jul. 28, 2020

Among those who suffer from thigh chafe, one clear crowd favorite emerged: Megababe’s Thigh Rescue, a moisturizing stick that looks like an especially pretty stick of deodorant and contains aloe, pomegranate oil, and grape-seed oil.

From Slate • Aug. 30, 2018

Figure 11.29 Hip and Thigh Muscles The large and powerful muscles of the hip that move the femur generally originate on the pelvic girdle and insert into the femur.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The Circular Motion of the Thigh is performed by the means of two Muscles, named the Obturatores Externi and Interni.

From The Compleat Surgeon or, the whole Art of Surgery explain'd in a most familiar Method. by Le Clerc, Charles Gabriel

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