scapula
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yə1570–80; < Latin: shoulder
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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scapula (ˈskæpjʊlə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -lae, -las | |
| 1. | Nontechnical name: shoulder blade either of two large flat triangular bones, one on each side of the back part of the shoulder in man |
| 2. | the corresponding bone in most vertebrates |
| [C16: from Late Latin: shoulder] | |
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| (in humans) either of two slender bones, each articulating with the sternum and a scapula and forming the anterior part of a shoulder; collarbone. |
| that part of either innominate bone that, with the corresponding part of the other, forms the front of the pelvis. |
scapula
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scapula scap·u·la (skāp'yə-lə)
n. pl. scap·u·las or scap·u·lae (-lē')
Either of two large, flat, triangular bones forming the back part of the shoulder. Also called shoulder blade.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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scapula (skāp'yə-lə) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) Plural scapulae (skāp'yə-lē') or scapulas Either of two flat, triangular bones forming part of the shoulder. In humans and other primates, the scapulae lie on the upper part of the back on either side of the spine. Also called shoulder blade. See more at skeleton. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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scapula
either of two large bones of the shoulder girdle in vertebrates. In humans they are triangular and lie on the upper back between the levels of the second and eighth ribs. A scapula's posterior surface is crossed obliquely by a prominent ridge, the spine, which divides the bone into two concave areas, the supraspinous and infraspinous fossae. The spine and fossae give attachment to muscles that act in rotating the arm. The spine ends in the acromion, a process that articulates with the clavicle, or collarbone, in front and helps form the upper part of the shoulder socket. The lateral apex of the triangle is broadened and presents a shallow cavity, the glenoid cavity, which articulates with the head of the bone of the upper arm, the humerus, to form the shoulder joint. Overhanging the glenoid cavity is a beaklike projection, the coracoid process, which completes the shoulder socket. To the margins of the scapula are attached muscles that aid in moving or fixing the shoulder as demanded by movements of the upper limb.
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