hamate

noun

ha·​mate ˈhā-ˌmāt 

: a bone on the inner side of the second row of the carpus in mammals

Examples of hamate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Through April, when Torrens filled in admirably while Alvarez was on the injured list with a broken hamate bone, the veteran backstop delivered a respectable .712 OPS from a position the Mets shouldn’t need much offense from, at least in theory. —Will Sammon, New York Times, 22 June 2025

The Phillies took a swing on Miller, a top high school hitter who fell to No. 27 in the 2023 draft after missing much of his senior season with a hamate fracture in his left hand. —Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 29 May 2025

Alvarez then suffered a broken hamate bone in his left hand in March, costing him the first four weeks of the season, but Mendoza believes the catcher is physically fine. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 26 May 2025

Mike Trout, recovering from a left hamate fracture, would play only one game the rest of the season. —Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 16 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin hamatus hooked, from hamus hook

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hamate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Medical Definition

hamate

1 of 2 adjective

ha·​mate

ˈhā-ˌmāt also ˈham-ət

: shaped like a hook

hamate

2 of 2 noun

variants or hamate bone

: a bone on the little-finger side of the second row of the carpus in mammals

called also unciform, unciform bone