femur

noun

fe·​mur ˈfē-mər 

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

As for Liam, the teen fractured his femurs and lost his left arm. — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026

The bullet penetrated his hip, thrust through his knee and shattered his femur. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 6 June 2026

The femur, however, had a flat and smooth finish, according to the study. — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 9 June 2026

In his case, too much time spent on the ice during his growth years and puberty caused extra bone to lay down on the end of the neck of the femur just before its head. — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 22 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin femor-, femur, from Latin, thigh

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for femur

• beamer
• creamer
• dreamer
• lemur
• reamer
• schemer
• steamer
• streamer
• redeemer

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

ˈfem-(ə-)rəl

adjective

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