Femur

Femur
The femur is the bone in the leg that extends from the hip to the knee. The femur constitutes the upper leg, that part of the leg above the knee. As compared to the lower leg which boasts two bones (the tibia and the fibula), the upper leg has only one bone, the femur, but a very large bone it is, the largest in the human body. The word "femur" is the Latin word for thigh and the femur is familiarly known as the thigh bone.
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1. SYN: thigh. 2. The long bone of the thigh, articulating with the hip bone proximally and the tibia and patella distally. [L. thigh]

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fe·mur 'fē-mər n, pl fe·murs or fem·o·ra 'fem-(ə-)rə
1) the proximal bone of the hind or lower limb that is the longest and largest bone in the human body, extends from the hip to the knee, articulates above with the acetabulum by a rounded head connected with the shaft of the bone by an oblique neck bearing a pair of trochanters for the attachment of muscles, and articulates with the tibia below by a pair of condyles called also thigh bone
2) the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body

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n.
a long bone between the hip and the knee. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum of the hip bone. The greater and lesser trochanters are protuberances on which the gluteus and psoas major muscles, respectively, are inserted. The lateral and medial condyles articulate with the tibia and the concave grooved patellar surface accommodates the kneecap (patella).
The narrowed end of the femur (femoral neck), which carries the head, is the commonest site of fracture of the leg in elderly women. Partial dislocation of the femoral epiphysis, the growth area of the upper end of the bone, leads to deformity of the head of the femur and pre-mature degeneration of the hip joint.

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fe·mur (feґmər) pl. femґora, femurs [L.][TA] 1. the bone that extends from the pelvis to the knee, being the longest and largest bone in the body; its head articulates with the acetabulum of the hip bone, and distally, the femur, along with the patella and tibia, forms the knee joint. Called also os femoris [TA alternative], and thigh bone. See also Plate 40. 2. official terminology for thigh.

Posterior view of right femur.


Medical dictionary. 2011.

Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • fémur — fémur …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • fémur — [ femyr ] n. m. • 1541; lat. femur « cuisse » 1 ♦ Os long qui constitue le squelette de la cuisse (⇒ fémoral). Tête, col du fémur. L extrémité inférieure du fémur s articule avec l extrémité supérieure du tibia (⇒ genou) . Fracture du fémur, du… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • femur — FEMÚR, femururi, s.n. Os lung care formează scheletul coapsei, de la genunchi până la şold. [pl. şi: femure] – Din fr. fémur. Trimis de RACAI, 21.11.2003. Sursa: DEX 98  FEMÚR s. (anat.) (prin Munt., Olt. şi Transilv.) şodolan. Trimis de siveco …   Dicționar Român

  • fémur — m. anat. Hueso par y asimétrico del muslo, el más largo del cuerpo. Articula con el hueso ilíaco en el acetábulo y con la tibia. Está formado por una porción central diafisaria y dos extremos epifisarios; el extremo superior, o cabeza, es… …   Diccionario médico

  • FEMUR — seu FEMEN, quasi FERIMEN, quod hac maxime parte sustineatur homo, et feratur, an a femina, quod in ea parte ab illa viri sexus discrepet, Graecis unâ voce μηρος dicitur. Latini nonumquam subtilius distinguentes, Femora exteriores partes Femina… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Femur — (Pl. Femora) steht für: Oberschenkel, anatomisch als Ganzes Oberschenkelknochen, Os femoris, bei Wirbeltieren Femur (Gliederfüßer), Abschnitt des Beines der Gliederfüßer Diese Seite ist eine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • femur — 1560s, from L. femur thigh, of unknown origin; borrowed first as an architectural term, 1799 as thighbone …   Etymology dictionary

  • fêmur — s. m. 1.  [Anatomia] Osso da coxa da perna. 2.  [Zoologia] Nó superior das patas dos insetos. 3.  [Figurado] Coxa da perna.   ♦ Grafia em Portugal: fémur …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • fémur — s. m. 1.  [Anatomia] Osso da coxa da perna. 2.  [Zoologia] Nó superior das patas dos insetos. 3.  [Figurado] Coxa da perna.   ♦ Grafia no Brasil: fêmur …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • fémur — sustantivo masculino 1. Área: anatomía Hueso del muslo: El ciclista sufrió una fractura de fémur …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • fémur — (Del lat. femur). 1. m. Hueso del muslo, que se articula por uno de sus extremos con el coxis y por el otro con la tibia y el peroné. 2. Zool. Artejo de las patas de los insectos, articulado por uno de sus extremos con el trocánter y por el otro… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

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