femur

noun

fe·​mur ˈfē-mər 

plural femurs or femora ˈfe-mə-rə 

ˈfem-rə

1

: the proximal bone of the hind or lower limb that extends from the hip to the knee

called also thigh bone

2

: the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body

Examples of femur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mostly femurs, the bones are very well preserved, researchers said, and were likely tossed into the lake as a form of offering by the indigenous culture hundreds of years ago. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 18 June 2024

Then John says that Teresa got this information from his ex who is in jail for making crystal meth and once forced him to get into an accident that shattered his femur. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 June 2024

Six years ago, Jordan Davis was wearing a large cast, his left femur broken in seven places following a crash in his hometown, Wallingford. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2024

The dinosaur had a healing femur and infected tibia and fibula. —Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin femor-, femur, from Latin, thigh

First Known Use

circa 1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

femur

noun

fe·​mur ˈfē-mər 

plural femurs or femora ˈfem-(ə-)rə 

1

: the long bone of the hind or lower limb extending from the hip to the knee

called also thighbone

2

: the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body

femoral

ˈfem-(ə-)rəl

adjective

Medical Definition

femur

noun

fe·​mur ˈfē-mər 

plural femurs or femora ˈfem-(ə-)rə 

1

: the proximal bone of the hind or lower limb that is the longest and largest bone in the human body, extends from the hip to the knee, articulates above with the acetabulum by a rounded head connected with the shaft of the bone by an oblique neck bearing a pair of trochanters for the attachment of muscles, and articulates with the tibia below by a pair of condyles

called also thigh bone

2

: the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body