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patella

 [puh-tel-uh]   Origin

pa·tel·la

   [puh-tel-uh]
noun, plural -tel·las, -tel·lae  [‐tel-ee] .
1.
Anatomy. the flat, movable bone at the front of the knee; kneecap.
2.
Biology. a panlike or cuplike formation.
3.
Zoology. any limpet of the family Patellidae.
4.
Archaeology. a small pan or shallow vessel.
Origin:
1665–75; < Latin, diminutive of patina, patena pan, literally, something wide open. See paten, -elle

Related forms
pa·tel·lar, adjective
post·pa·tel·lar, adjective
sub·pa·tel·lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Patella is always a great word to know.
So is navicular. Does it mean:
forming or shaped like a head or dense cluster
largest carpal bone of the proximal row of the wrist, occupies most lateral position on thumb side
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Collins
World English Dictionary
patella (pəˈtɛlə)
 
—n , pl -lae
1.  anatomy Nontechnical name: kneecap a small flat triangular bone in front of and protecting the knee joint
2.  biology a cuplike structure, such as the spore-producing body of certain ascomycetous fungi
3.  archaeol a small pan
 
[C17: from Latin, from patina shallow pan]
 
pa'tellar
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

patella
"knee cap," 1693, from L. patella "pan, kneecap," dim. of patina "pan" (see paten). So called from its shape.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

patella pa·tel·la (pə-těl'ə)
n. pl. pa·tel·lae (-těl'ē)

  1. A flat triangular bone located in the combined tendon of the extensors of the leg and covering the front surface of the knee joint. Also called kneecap.

  2. A pan-shaped anatomical formation.

pa·tel'lar or pa·tel'late (-těl'ĭt, -āt') adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
patella   (pə-těl'ə)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural patellae (pə-těl'ē)
The small, flat, movable bone at the front of the knee in most mammals. Also called kneecap. See more at skeleton.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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