unciform

American  

[uhn-suh-fawrm] / ˈʌn səˌfɔrm /

adjective

1. hook-shaped.

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unciform British  

/ ˈʌnsɪˌfɔːm /

adjective

1. anatomy zoology having the shape of a hook

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noun

1. Also called: hamate bone.  anatomy any hook-shaped structure or part, esp a small bone of the wrist ( unciform bone )

Etymology

Origin of unciform

1725–35; < New Latin unciformis, equivalent to Latin unc ( us ) a hook, barb (cognate with Greek ónkos ) + -i- -i- + -formis -form

Example Sentences

Another circular sweep just above the pisiform and unciform bones divides all the soft textures, after which the joint may be opened, and, if necessary, the styloid processes cut away with saw or pliers.

From A Manual of the Operations of Surgery For the Use of Senior Students, House Surgeons, and Junior Practitioners by Bell, Joseph

Uncinā′tum, the unciform bone of the carpus; Uncī′nus, a hooklet, hamulus, one of the uncial teeth of the radula:—pl.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various