unciform

[ uhn-suh-fawrm ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

unciform

/ ˈʌnsɪˌfɔːm /

Also calledhamate bone anatomy any hook-shaped structure or part, esp a small bone of the wrist ( unciform bone )

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

C18: from New Latin unciformis, from Latin uncus a hook

In the carpus the os magnum articulates freely with the scaphoid, and is separated from the cuneiform by the lunar and unciform.

The final bone of that series, the unciform, seems to represent two bones fused.

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