trochanter
[ troh-kan-ter ]
/ troʊˈkæn tər /
Save This Word!
noun
Anatomy. either of two knobs at the top of the femur, the greater on the outside and the lesser on the inside, serving for the attachment of muscles between the thigh and pelvis.
Zoology. any similar prominence on the femur in many other vertebrates.
Entomology. (in an insect) the usually small second segment of the leg, between the coxa and femur.
QUIZZES
DO A DOUBLE TAKE ON THIS QUIZ ON CONTRONYMS
Look both ways before you take this quiz on contronyms, or words that can have opposite meanings.
Question 1 of 7
Choose the sentence that uses "rent" correctly.
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of trochanter
1605–15; <New Latin <Greek trochantḗr ball on which the hip bone turns in its socket
OTHER WORDS FROM trochanter
tro·chan·ter·ic [troh-kuhn-ter-ik], /ˌtroʊ kənˈtɛr ɪk/, tro·chan·ter·al, adjectivesub·tro·chan·ter·ic, adjectiveWords nearby trochanter
Trobriand Islands, trocar, troch., trochaic, trochal, trochanter, trochanterian, troche, trochee, trochelminth, trochilus
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for trochanter
British Dictionary definitions for trochanter
trochanter
/ (trəʊˈkæntə) /
noun
any of several processes on the upper part of the vertebrate femur, to which muscles are attached
the third segment of an insect's leg
Word Origin for trochanter
C17: via French from Greek trokhantēr, from trekhein to run
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
Medical definitions for trochanter
trochanter
[ trō-kăn′tər ]
n.
Any of several bony processes on the upper part of the femur.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.