: 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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Of course, no one is more important on the Guardians’ roster than Ramírez, who returned from a broken hamate bone on an aggressive timeframe. Jim Bowden, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 He was plagued with right wrist soreness, which came weeks after a right hamate surgery (on a small bone in the hand) that cost him nearly four weeks of action. Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 17 Aug. 2026 Ramírez has struggled since returning from having his left hamate bone removed on June 16. ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026 Jackson was initially added to the Twins’ roster in May when Ryan Jeffers suffered a broken hamate bone. Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 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 24 Aug. 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

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