a small fluid-filled sac that reduces friction between movable parts of the body, esp at joints
zoology any saclike cavity or structure
First recorded in 1795–1805; from New Latin, Late Latin bursa “bag, pouch, purse,” from Greek býrsa “hide, leather”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
McVay said a few days later that a bursa sac in Nacua’s knee had burst.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024
"Overall, what we're seeing is a beneficial role of the bursa for rotator cuff health, in contrast with the historical view that the inflamed bursa is detrimental," says Thomopoulos.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
Uninjured tendons in the shoulder frequently degenerate over time after the initial injury, and "the animal data imply that retaining the bursa may prevent or delay progression of this pathology."
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
Small fluid-filled sacs called bursa, which normally cushion the joint, may instead swell and ache.
From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2022
The synovial cavity of the superior tibio-fibular articulation is usually distinct from that of the knee-joint, but may communicate with it through the popliteal bursa.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander
The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for August delivery is 3 ringgit higher at 4,461 ringgit a ton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for July delivery fell 41 ringgit to 4,440 ringgit a ton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Trade unions filled rallies in many cities, from Bursa to Corum.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for July delivery ended 42 ringgit higher at 4,578 ringgit a ton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Watch closely: Lefty, setting his derby at a rakish angle, walks down the sloping streets of Bursa.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Dolphins and other toothed whales, such as the beluga, echolocate via a specialized organ called the dorsal bursae, which sits at the top of their head, close to the blowhole.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 3, 2021
Irradiated chickens with no bursae produced no antibodies when injected with either bovine serum albumin, a protein derived from cattle, or the bacterium Brucella abortus.
From Nature ● Jan. 5, 2015
Two bursae, the subacromial bursa and the subscapular bursa, help to prevent friction between the rotator cuff muscle tendons and the scapula as these tendons cross the glenohumeral joint.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Subcutaneous bursae prevent friction between the skin and an underlying bone, submuscular bursae protect muscles from rubbing against a bone or another muscle, and a subtendinous bursa prevents friction between bone and a muscle tendon.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Most people know that bunions are inflammations of the bursae which form over the metacarpo-phalangeal joint of the big toe whenever there is pressure and irritation of it.
From Psychotherapy by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
