hamate

noun

ha·​mate ˈhā-ˌmāt How to pronounce hamate (audio)
: 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
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Lindor was unable to captain the team after being denied insurance for the tournament, and having to undergo hamate bone surgery the first week of spring training. Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026 The injury bug that haunted the D-backs last year struck again early in spring training, as OF Corbin Carroll broke his hamate bone on a swing in live batting practice. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026 Carroll, Holliday and Lindor have varying degrees of hamate bone injuries — at least per reports — with Lindor’s sounding the least serious. Jake Ciely, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026 Blake Mitchell was also back after breaking his right hamate bone in camp last year. Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hamate

Word History

Etymology

Latin hamatus hooked, from hamus hook

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hamate was in 1924

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hamate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hamate. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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