femur

noun fe·mur \ ˈfē-mər \

Updated on: 18 Apr 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

An engineer calculated such fractures to the femurs, the longest and strongest bones in the human body, would have taken more than 1,000 pounds of force.

— deborah yetter, The Courier-Journal, "Prosecutor says JCPS failed autistic boy whose legs were broken. But he won't seek charges," 11 Apr. 2018
The bones that made the difference seemed to be the bones of the hand and wrist (phalanges, metacarpals, and carpals), the lower arm (radius and ulna), ankles (tarsals), and parts of the leg (femur and fibula, but oddly not the tibia).

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Machine-learning says Homo naledi may not have buried its dead," 6 Apr. 2018
The resident was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a right femur fracture.

— courant.com, "State Fines Six Nursing Homes After Residents Injured," 23 Mar. 2018
While hiking the Castle Rock Trail in Colorado Saturday with his 13-year-old grandson, Eli, Smoker reportedly fell about 20 feet breaking his neck, femur, pelvis and nine ribs.

— sheila vilvens, Cincinnati.com, "Carolina Panthers running back, friends help rescue a Finneytown man who fell down cliff while hiking," 7 Mar. 2018
The 72-year-old man had a broken femur and pelvis, internal bleeding, bleeding on the brain, nine broken ribs and a broken neck, according to McCaffrey.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "Carolina Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey helps save hiker who fell off Colorado rock | Charlotte Observer," 6 Mar. 2018
Long bones like the femur can help give the stature, and, if the remains are from an adult, the pelvic bone will show whether the body is male or female.

— megan cassidy, azcentral, "Bones found in Buckeye awaiting DNA analysis, could clear speculation about Jesse Wilson," 14 Mar. 2018
At the end of 2017, she was being treated for cancer in her femur and lung.

— New York Times, "From Crayons to Chemo, He’s Back by Her Side," 9 Mar. 2018
Further remains taken from the grate of a barbecue pit contained femur bones, knee caps and pieces of arm, leg, hand and feet bones, mixed in with wood.

— elizabeth zavala, San Antonio Express-News, "Medical examiner: Man either beaten to death or asphyxiated prior to dismemberment," 5 Mar. 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