humerus

noun hu·mer·us \ ˈhyü-mə-rəs \

Updated on: 31 Mar 2018

Definition of humerus

plural humeri play \ˈhyü-mə-ˌrī, -ˌrē\

: the long bone of the upper arm or forelimb extending from the shoulder to the elbow

See humerus defined for English-language learners

See humerus defined for kids

Recent Examples of humerus from the Web

On April 10, DeSantis had Tommy John surgery, a now-common procedure in which a wrist tendon was transposed into his elbow and anchored to re-connect his humerus and ulna.

— creg stephenson, AL.com, "Nick DeSantis back to lead South Alabama bullpen after 'amazing' return from Tommy John surgery," 16 Mar. 2018
The bones have since disappeared, but Hoodless’s seven measurements survived—four of the skull and three long bone lengths (humerus, radius, and tibia).

— National Geographic, "Bones Discovered in 1940 Could Have Been Amelia Earhart’s," 8 Mar. 2018
The researcher obtained precise measurements of Earhart's humerus and radius lengths from a photograph as well as measurements of her clothing.

— CBS News, "Bones found in 1940 likely belong to Amelia Earhart, researcher claims," 8 Mar. 2018
This is why the mystery of Amelia Earhart endures 80 years later Three years after her disappearance, in 1940, a working party stumbled upon a human skull, humerus, radius, tibia, fibula and two femora on Nikumaroro, the study said.

— sean rossman, USA TODAY, "Bones found in South Pacific 'likely' Amelia Earhart's, researcher says," 7 Mar. 2018
The new analysis relies on four measurements from the skull, and three measurements from long bones: the tibia (one of two bones in the lower leg), the humerus (the long upper arm bone) and the radius (one of two forearm bones).

— jared gilmour, kansascity, "Amelia Earhart’s bones were likely found in 1940 on Pacific island, new forensic analysis suggests | The Kansas City Star," 7 Mar. 2018
To get to the mountains in Pyeongchang for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Vonn has overcome injury that would be debilitating to most, including a fractured humerus bone, a fractured ankle, and a knee fractured three times over.

— christine flammia, Esquire, "Here Are 10 Things You Didn't Know About Lindsey Vonn," 16 Feb. 2018
In November 2016, Vonn fractured her right humerus during training, also at Copper Mountain.

— tim layden, SI.com, "Battle Scars: Lindsey Vonn’s Many Wounds Have Prepared Her For A Final Golden Olympic Run," 9 Jan. 2018
By studying the fossilized remains of the animal's teeth, skull, and humerus, the researchers determined the 50-pound climber roamed rainforests about 18 to 26 million years ago, during the late Oligocene and early Miocene eras.

— National Geographic, "New Species of Dog-Size Marsupial Lion Discovered," 7 Dec. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of humerus

Middle English, from Latin humerus, umerus upper arm, shoulder; akin to Goth ams shoulder, Greek ōmos

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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Other Anatomy Terms

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HUMERUS Defined for English Language Learners

humerus

noun

Definition of humerus for English Language Learners

medical : the long bone of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow

HUMERUS Defined for Kids

humerus

noun hu·mer·us \ ˈhyu̇-mə-rəs \

Definition of humerus for Students

plural humeri \-ˌrī, -ˌrē\

: the long bone of the upper arm or forelimb that extends from the shoulder to the elbow

Medical Dictionary

humerus

noun hu·mer·us \ ˈhyüm-(ə-)rəs \

medical Definition of humerus

plural humeri play \ˈhyü-mə-ˌrī, -ˌrē\

: the longest bone of the upper arm or forelimb extending from the shoulder to the elbow, articulating above by a rounded head with the glenoid cavity, having below a broad articular surface divided by a ridge into a medial pulley-shaped portion and a lateral rounded eminence that articulate with the ulna and radius respectively, and providing various processes and modified surfaces for the attachment of muscles