metacarpal

1 of 2

adjective

meta·​car·​pal ˌme-tə-ˈkär-pəl How to pronounce metacarpal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being the metacarpus or a metacarpal

metacarpal

2 of 2

noun

: a bone of the part of the hand or forefoot between the carpus and the phalanges that typically contains five more or less elongated bones when all the digits are present

Examples of metacarpal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Prison officials said the metacarpal intra-articular base fracture, sometimes called a Bennett or Rolando fracture, to Templin’s thumb was caused by Templin repeatedly punching a wall. Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 13 June 2024 Merely two hours after the game it was announced that Barnes had suffered a fracture to his third metacarpal bone in his left hand and is now out indefinitely. Esfandiar Baraheni, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
The rookie right-handed reliever fractured the fifth metacarpal in the pinky of his non-throwing hand after Monday night’s win over the Houston Astros. Christian Babcock, The Mercury News, 25 July 2024 In addition to an up-close look at the screw holding Patel's fifth metacarpal in place and allowed filming to continue, the shirt had a bubble printed on the front to represent the movie's COVID quarantine and a cartoon monkey — a nod to the movie — gracing the back. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 31 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for metacarpal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'metacarpal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1739, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1831, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of metacarpal was in 1739

Dictionary Entries Near metacarpal

Cite this Entry

“Metacarpal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metacarpal. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

metacarpal

1 of 2 adjective
meta·​car·​pal ˌmet-ə-ˈkär-pəl How to pronounce metacarpal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being the part of the hand or front foot or a bone of this part that is between the carpal bones and the bones of the fingers or toes

metacarpal

2 of 2 noun
: a metacarpal bone

Medical Definition

metacarpal

1 of 2 adjective
meta·​car·​pal ˌmet-ə-ˈkär-pəl How to pronounce metacarpal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being the metacarpus or a metacarpal

metacarpal

2 of 2 noun
: any bone of the metacarpus of the human hand or the front foot in quadrupeds

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