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

Their spines and femurs were interlaced, a sign that bodies had been dumped one upon the other. —Constant Méheut Samuel Aranda, New York Times, 18 July 2023

But in June, the sheriff’s office exhumed his remains, which led to new DNA samples as well as the discovery of a titanium rod in his right femur. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 7 Nov. 2023

Examples of long bones include the bones of the leg and arm — like the femur and the fibula — as well as the bones of the fingers and toes. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023

The other bullets broke his femur and caused nerve damage to his forearm. —Glenn Thrush, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2023

At a protest calling for Israel to reopen Birzeit, a soldier shot Nader in the leg, fracturing his femur. —Nathan Thrall, Curbed, 25 Oct. 2023

The bullet lodged in his femur, and Gomez dropped to the ground. —Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 22 Oct. 2023

The Oscar-winning actress, 89, fell in the bathroom of her home in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday, suffering several fractures, including to her femur and hip. —Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2023

According to reports, Loren fell inside her bathroom and sustained several fractures to her hip and a fracture to her femur. —Carita Rizzo, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

New Latin femor-, femur, from Latin, thigh

First Known Use

circa 1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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