femur

noun fe·mur \ ˈfē-mər \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of femur

plural femurs or femora play \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 thighbone

2 : the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body

See femur defined for English-language learners

See femur defined for kids

Recent Examples of femur from the Web

The demonstrators had been systematically shot either in the lower limbs (shattering femurs, knees and ankles), in the abdomen, the back or the head.

— ben wedeman, CNN, "Hundreds in months-long Gaza protests crippled for life by Israeli gunfire," 8 June 2018
In 2015, Morgan said he and another person called DCS after Brayson suffered a broken femur.

— marisa kwiatkowski, Indianapolis Star, "Burns, broken bones, 11 warnings: The tragic death of Brayson Price," 31 May 2018
Some 15,000 American troops, the 82nd Airborne Division, marched in lock step behind their commanding general, who had just jumped out of a plane with a titanium femur.

— helene cooper, New York Times, "Everyone Loves a Parade. Especially When It’s on a Military Base.," 27 May 2018
The bone, thought be a femur, was found near what's believed to be Bellamy's pistol.

— james rogers, Fox News, "Pirate mystery solved: Human bone reveals its secrets," 25 May 2018
And on the slopes of one of the sand spits, a femur, fibula, and tibia (the bones of the leg) were found bundled together with two white stones.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "2,000 years ago in Denmark, a fierce battle left dozens dead," 21 May 2018
His scalp and liver were lacerated, his femur, sacrum and multiple ribs were broken.

— andrew wolfson, The Courier-Journal, "'Bounty hunter' George Rawlings may be the richest Kentuckian you've never heard of," 5 Apr. 2018
Large-scale battle The 2,095 human bones excavated at Alken Enge represented at least 82 people; left femurs were the most common single bone at the site, and archaeologists found 82 of them.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "2,000 years ago in Denmark, a fierce battle left dozens dead," 21 May 2018
The leg with almost no cartilage between her femur and tibia, putting her at risk of a fracture or worse.

— jeff metcalfe, azcentral, "Danielle Gibson overcomes knee issue to become freshman star for ASU softball," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'femur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of femur

New Latin femor-, femur, from Latin, thigh

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1726

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

FEMUR Defined for English Language Learners

femur

noun

Definition of femur for English Language Learners

medical : the long bone in the upper part of the leg

FEMUR Defined for Kids

femur

noun fe·mur \ ˈfē-mər \

Definition of femur for Students

plural femurs or femora \ˈfe-mə-rə\

: the long leg bone that extends from the hip to the knee

Medical Dictionary

femur

noun fe·mur \ ˈfē-mər \

medical Definition of femur

plural femurs or femora play \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