[fem-er-uh] . 1555–65; < Latin: thigh
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
00:10
00:09
00:08
00:07
00:06
00:05
00:04
00:03
00:02
00:01
| second bone from the thumb side of the proximal row of bones of the carpus |
| several short, angular bones that in humans make up the ankle |
- The dead bone is in the femur, the large bone in the thigh, where the femur meets the knee.
- It involves scraping the surfaces of the hip joint and femur and placing a metal cap over the bone.
- The paleontologist and her colleagues removed mineral fragments from the interior of the femur by soaking it in a weak acid.
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
femur
Cite This Source
femur fe·mur (fē'mər)
n. pl. fe·murs or fem·o·ra (fěm'ər-ə)
See thigh.
The long bone of the thigh, and the longest and strongest bone in the human body, situated between the pelvis and the knee and articulating with the hipbone and with the tibia and patella. Also called thighbone.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
| femur (fē'mər) Pronunciation Key
The long bone of the thigh or of the upper portion of the hind leg. See more at skeleton. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
femur
upper bone of the leg or hind leg. The head forms a ball-and-socket joint with the hip (at the acetabulum), being held in place by a ligament (ligamentum teres femoris) within the socket and by strong surrounding ligaments. In humans the neck of the femur connects the shaft and head at a 125 angle, which is efficient for walking. A prominence of the femur at the outside top of the thigh provides attachment for the gluteus medius and minimus muscles. The shaft is somewhat convex forward and strengthened behind by a pillar of bone called the linea aspera. Two large prominences, or condyles, on either side of the lower end of the femur form the upper half of the knee joint, which is completed below by the tibia (shin) and patella (kneecap). Internally, the femur shows the development of arcs of bone called trabeculae that are efficiently arranged to transmit pressure and resist stress. Human femurs have been shown to be capable of resisting compression forces of 800-1,100 kg (1,800-2,500 pounds)
Learn more about femur with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
