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

And the genetic results confirmed that the skull and femur samples were from the same individual, although the results for the rib were inconclusive. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 13 Jan. 2025

Palos Verdes Estates Police Captain Aaron Belda said a second leg and femur were recovered on Thursday by officers and coroner investigators searching along the shoreline, with the limb first being spotted by a hiker, according to the Los Angeles Times. —David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024

The arms were resting alongside their torsos, while their hands were placed near the pelvis or femurs. —Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025

The discovery follows recent discoveries of a human skull and bones, two legs and a femur at various locations along the peninsula. —Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin femor-, femur, from Latin, thigh

First Known Use

1666, 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