fibula

noun

fib·​u·​la ˈfi-byə-lə 

plural fibulae ˈfi-byə-lē  -lī  or fibulas

1

: the outer and usually smaller of the two bones between the knee and ankle in the hind or lower limbs of vertebrates

2

: a clasp resembling a safety pin used especially by the ancient Greeks and Romans

fibular

ˈfi-byə-lər 

adjective

Illustration of fibula

• fibula 2

Examples of fibula in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Detroit did a lot of that without shooting guard Jaden Ivey, who suffered a broken fibula on New Year's Day that ended his season. —Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025

However, a fibula fracture derailed him last year. —Mike Barner, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

The findings contained fossils of vertebrae, ribs, humerus, ulna, fibula and foot bones. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025

The boy had suffered many injuries that included an arterial bleed in his right wrist and calf wounds that made his tibia and fibula visible, according to Fox News. —Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, pin, clasp; akin to Latin figere to fasten

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fibula

noun

fib·​u·​la ˈfib-yə-lə 

plural fibulae -ˌlē 

-ˌlī

or fibulas

: the outer and usually the smaller of the two bones between the knee and ankle of the hind or lower limb

fibular

-lər 

adjective

Medical Definition

fibula

noun

fib·​u·​la ˈfib-yə-lə 

plural fibulae

-lē also -ˌlī

or fibulas

: the outer or postaxial and usually the smaller of the two bones of the hind or lower limb below the knee that is the slenderest bone of the human body in proportion to its length, articulates above with the external tuberosity of the tibia and below with the talus, and has its lower end forming the external malleolus of the ankle

called also calf bone

fibular

-lər 

adjective