Femora

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The plural form of the thigh bone in humans and other vertebrates, serving as the upper leg bone connecting the hip to the knee; in anatomy, the key structural element supporting locomotion and weight-bearing in the lower limbs; referring collectively to these bones in plural contexts
2. Denoting multiple instances of the large bone found in the upper leg region of mammals, including humans, which links the pelvic girdle to the knee joint; used in anatomical discussions to describe the main supportive bones for walking; representing the femur bones considered together
3. A term used to describe more than one femur, the principal bone of the thigh that forms part of the leg skeleton and facilitates movement and support; commonly referenced in biology and medicine when discussing the structure of the lower limbs; relating to the paired thigh bones in quadrupeds and bipeds alike

Etymology: "Femora" is the plural of "femur," so it refers to the thigh bones of mammals considered together. The singular comes straight from Latin "femur," meaning "thigh," and English took the word over in its original form, which is why its plural keeps the Latin ending rather than adding an English "s." The Latin "femur" is closely related to the older idea of the thigh as the fleshy part of the leg, though the bone itself became the sense English adopted for the anatomical term. Because the word arrived as a learned borrowing, English speakers who write about multiple bones often reach for "femora" instead of "femurs," a choice that follows the classical pattern used for many anatomical terms.

Synonyms: thigh bones