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plural femurs or femora
ˈfe-mə-rə
ˈfem-rə
1
: the proximal bone of the hind or lower limb that extends from the hip to the knee
called also thigh bone
2
: the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body
Examples of femur in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The cancer was located in his left femur and in danger of spreading.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
According to court documents, detectives reopened the cold case in 2017 and then worked with a forensics company to extract DNA from Baby Garnet’s partial femur, before sending the results to Identifinders International.
—Taylor Galgano, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024
He’s played more than 130 games in only one season, missing 10 weeks this year from a stress reaction in his right femur.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
This treatment left Niko with two femur fractures, three rib fractures, and severe burns on his back, ear, forehead, eye, and muzzle.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
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Word History
Etymology
New Latin femor-, femur, from Latin, thigh
First Known Use
1666, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near femur
Cite this Entry
“Femur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/femur. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
femur
noun
fe·mur
ˈfē-mər
plural femurs or femora
ˈfem-(ə-)rə
1
: the long bone of the hind or lower limb extending from the hip to the knee
called also thighbone
2
: the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body
femoral
adjective
ˈfem-(ə-)rəl
Medical Definition
femur
noun
fe·mur
ˈfē-mər
plural femurs or femora
ˈfem-(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
More from Merriam-Webster on femur
Nglish: Translation of femur for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of femur for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about femur
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