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

Alvarez fractured the hamate bone in his left hand during batting practice on March 8 and had surgery two days later. —Will Sammon, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Spring training injuries delayed the start of the season for both, with McNeil going down with an oblique strain, and Alvarez needing surgery to repair a broken hamate bone. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025

When Alvarez underwent surgery for a fractured hamate bone on March 10, the catcher’s recovery was expected to take six-to-eight weeks. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025

First baseman Tyler Black, the No. 6 prospect in the Brewers’ system was expected to open the season with Nashville but will instead miss the first 6-8 weeks of the season after fracturing the hamate bone in his right hand. —Andrew Wagner, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 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