Term | Definition |
acetabulum | Rounded depression, or socket, in the pelvis, which joins the femur (thigh bone), forming the hip joint. |
acromion | Outward extension of the shoulder blade forming the point of the shoulder. It overlies the shoulder joint and articulates with the clavicle. |
articular cartilage | Thin layer of cartilage surrounding the bone in the joint space. |
bone | Dense, hard connective tissue composing the skeleton. Examples are long bones (femur), short bones (carpals), flat bones (scapula), and sesamoid bones (patella). |
calcium | One of the mineral constituents of bone. Calcium phosphate is the major calcium salt in bones. |
cancellous bone | Spongy, porous, bone tissue in the inner part of a bone. |
cartilaginous tissue | Flexible, rubbery connective tissue. It is found in the immature skeleton, at the epiphyseal growth plate, and on joint surfaces. |
collagen | Dense, connective tissue protein strands found in bone and other tissues. |
compact bone | Hard, dense bone tissue, usually found around the outer portion of bones. |
condyle | Knuckle-like process at the end of a bone near the joint. |
cranial bones | Skull bones: ethmoid, frontal, occipital, parietal, sphenoid, and temporal. |
diaphysis | Shaft, or mid-portion, of a long bone. |
disk (disc) | Flat, round, plate-like structure. An intervertebral disk is a fibrocartilaginous substance between two vertebrae. |
epiphyseal plate | cartilaginous area at the ends of long bones where lengthwise growth takes place in the immature skeleton. |
epiphysis | each end of a long bone; the area beyond the epiphyseal plate |
facial bones | bones of the face: lacrimal, mandibular, maxillary, nasal, vomer, and zygomatic. |
fissure | narrow, silt-like opening in or between bones. |
fontanelle | soft spot (incomplete bone formation) between the skull bones of an infant. |
foramen | opening or passage in bones where blood vessels and nerves enter and leave. the forearm magnum is the opening of the occipital bone through which the spinal cord passes. |
fossa | shallow cavity in a bone. |
haversian canals | minute spaces filled with blood vessels; found in compact bone. |
malleolus | round process on both sides of the ankle joint. the lateral malleolus is part of the fibula, and the medial malleolus is part of the tibia. |
manubrium | upper portion of the sternum; articulates with the medial aspect of the clavicle. |
mastoid process | round projection on the temporal bone behind the ear. |
medullary cavity | central, hollowed-out area in the shaft of a long bone. |
metaphysis | flared portion of a long bone, between the diaphysis (shaft) and the epiphyseal plate ( in this term, meta-means between.) |
olecranon | large process on the proximal end of the ulna; the point of the flexed elbow. |
osseous tissue | bone tissue |
ossification | process of bone formation |
osteoblast | bone cell that helps form bony tissue. |
osteoclast | bone cell that absorbs and removes unwanted bony tissue |
periosteum | membrane surrounding bones; rich in blood vessels and nerve tissue. |
phosphorus | mineral substance found in bones in combination with calcium. |
pubic symphysis | area of confluence (coming together) of the two pubic bones in the pelvis. they are joined (sym-means together, -physis means to grow) bby a fibrocartilaginous disk. |
red bone marrow | found in cancellous bone; site of hematopoiesis. |
ribs | twelve pairs of curved bones that form the chest wall. True ribs are the first 7 pairs, false ribs are pairs 8 to 10; floating ribs are pairs 11 and 12. |
sella turcica | depression in the sphenoid bone where the pituitary gland is located. |
sinus | hollow air cavity within a bone. |
styloid process | pole like process extending downward from the temporal bone on each side of the skull. |
suture | joint between bones, such as the skull (cranium). |