metatarsal

American  

[met-uh-tahr-suhl] / ˌmɛt əˈtɑr səl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the metatarsus, the part of the foot that includes the bones between the ankle and toes.

---

noun

1. a bone in the metatarsus.

metatarsal British  

/ ˌmɛtəˈtɑːsəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the metatarsus

---

noun

1. any bone of the metatarsus

metatarsal Scientific  

/ mĕt′ə-tär′səl /

1. Any of the bones of the feet in humans or the back feet in animals that are located between the tarsal bones and the phalanges.

---

Other Word Forms

• intermetatarsal
  adjective
• metatarsally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of metatarsal

First recorded in 1730–40; meta- + tarsal

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metatarsal

The metatarsal measures 10 centimeters in length and came from a tyrannosaur that likely reached 10-12 meters and weighed several tons in life.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

He flexes his metatarsal bones to indicate where he wants a subordinate to sit.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2025

The 25-year-old Argentina international missed the end of last season after fracturing a metatarsal in April and United expect him to miss another three months because of "an aggravation" to the injury.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2023

Ten Hag was speaking before Martinez was ruled out for the rest of the season with a fractured metatarsal bone in his foot.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 14, 2023

Not even a metatarsal of any family skeleton interested Bull Meecham if the family was not his own.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy