Download GLOSSARY/DEFINITION SKELETAL SYSTEM

GLOSSARY/DEFINITION SKELETAL SYSTEM
Abduction: from Latin abduct, abducere, lead away. Meaning; to draw away from the midline of
the body or from an adjacent part or limb. ‘Typically, the patient presents with the arm held close to
the body in abduction and internal rotation.’
Acromion; from Greek akros, extreme AND in Indo-European roots mos, shoulder. Meaning; the
outer end of the scapula to which the collarbone is attached.
Adduction; from Latin adduction, bringing forward. Meaning: move (a limb or other part) towards
the midline of the body or towards another part. ‘the main function of pectorals is to adduct the
arms’
Annulus fibrosis, from Latin, a small ring or encircling structure. Meaning; fibrous ring of
intervertebral disk; the circumferential ring like portion of an intervertebral disk.
Anorexia; from Greek a, not AND orexis, appetite. Meaning; lack or loss of appetite for food.
Appendicular; from Latin appendicula, diminutive of appendix. Meaning; of, relating to, or
consisting of an appendage or appendages, especially the limbs. ‘The appendicular skeleton’.
Appositional; from Latin appositus, to put near. Meaning; the growth of successive layers of a cell
wall.
Bursae; from Latin, purse or pouch. Meaning; plural of a sac or saclike bodily cavity, especially one
containing a viscous lubricating fluid and located between a tendon and a bone or at points of
friction between moving structures.
Bursitis; from Latin bursae, purse or pouch AND itis, inflammation. Meaning ;inflammation of bursa.
Calcitonin; from Latin, calx, calcium AND Greek, tonos, tone. Meaning; a peptide hormone,
produced by the thyroid gland in humans, that acts to lower plasma calcium and phosphate levels
without augmenting calcium accretion.
Canalise; Mod Eng. Meaning; direct the flow of.
Cancellous; from Latin, cancellus, lattice. Meaning; of a reticular, spongy, or lattice-like structure.
Cephalad; from Greek, kephale, head. Meaning; toward the head or anterior section.
Cranial; from Latin cranium, skull. Meaning; of or relating to the skull or cranium.
Caudal - from Latin cauda, tail. Meaning; of, at, or near the tail or hind parts; posterior.
Caudad - from Latin cauda, tail. Toward the tail or posterior end of the body; caudally.
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Cervical- Latin cervix, neck. Meaning; of or relating to a neck or a cervix.
Canaliculi; Latin canaliculus, diminutive of canalis, conduit. Meaning; a small canal or duct in the
body, such as the minute channels in compact bone.
Circumduction;-Latin circumduction, act of leading around. Meaning; the circular movement of a
limb such that the distal end of the limb delineates an arc.
Clavicle; from Latin, diminutive of clavis, key (from its shape). Meaning; either of two slender bones
in humans that extend from the manubrium of the sternum to the acromion of the scapula.
Coccyx- from Greek kokk cuckoo, coccyx (from its resemblance to a cuckoo's beak). A small
triangular bone at the base of the spinal column in humans and tailless apes, consisting of several
fused rudimentary vertebrae.
Congenital; from Latin com AND genitus, born or to bear. Meaning; of or relating to a condition that
is present at birth, as a result of either heredity or environmental influences. ‘A congenital
malformation of the heart’
Coronal; from Latin coronalis, of a crown. Meaning of or relating to a corona, especially of the head.
Corticosteroid- Mod Eng Med. Meaning; any of the steroid hormones produced by the adrenal
cortex or their synthetic equivalents, such as cortisol and aldosterone.
Cysts; from Greek kustis, bladder. Meaning; an abnormal membranous sac containing a gaseous,
liquid, or semisolid substance.
Diaphysis; from Greek diaphuesthai, to grow between. Meaning; The shaft of a long bone.
Endochondral; Growing or developing within cartilage; - applied esp. to developing bone.
Endosteum; from Latin end(o)- AND Greek osteon, bone. Meaning; the thin layer of cells lining the
medullary cavity of a bone.
Epiphyses; from Greek epiphusis, an excrescence, AND phusis, growth. Meaning; end of a long bone
that is originally separated from the main bone by a layer of cartilage but later becomes united to
the main bone through ossification.
Femur; from Latin, thigh. Meaning; a bone of the leg situated between the pelvis and knee in
humans. It is the largest and strongest bone in the body.
Fibro-cartilage; from Latin cartilago, cartillage AND fibro, fibrous. Meaning; cartilage that contains
numerous thick bundles of collagen fibers.
Fibula; Latin fibula, clasp. Meaning; the outer and narrower of two bones of the human lower leg,
extending from the knee to the ankle.
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Fontanelles; from Old French fontanele, diminutive of fontaine, fountain. Meaning; any of the soft
membranous gaps between the incompletely formed cranial bones of a fetus or an infant.
Haematoma; from latin haem, blood AND toma, tumour. Meaning; a tumour of clotted or partially
clotted blood.
Humerus; from Latin upper arm. Meaning; The long bone of the arm or forelimb, extending from the
shoulder to the elbow.
Hyaline; from Greek hualinos, of glass. Meaning; Resembling glass, as in translucence or
transparency; glassy.
Ileum; from Latin ileum, groin or flank. Meaning; the terminal portion of the small intestine
extending from the jejunum to the caecum.
Ischium; from Latin, hip joint, also from Greek iskhion. Meaning; the lowest of the three major
bones that constitute each half of the pelvis.
Kyphosis; from Greek kyphos, bent. Meaning; Abnormal rearward curvature of the spine, resulting in
protuberance of the upper back; hunchback. ‘Patients with postural kyphosis can generally correct
the kyphosis by making a conscious effort to do so.’
Lacunae; Latin lacuna; lagoon. Meaning; a cavity, space, or depression, especially in a bone,
containing cartilage or bone cells.
Lamella; Latin lamella, small thin plate. Meaning; a thin scale, plate, or layer of bone or tissue, as in
the gills of a bivalve mollusk or around the minute vascular canals in bone.
Lordosis; from Greek lordos, bent backward. Meaning; an abnormal forward curvature of the spine
in the lumbar region.
Lumber; from Latin lumbus, loin. Meaning; of, near, or situated in the part of the back and sides
between the lowest ribs and the pelvis.
Mastoid process; from Latin processus, to advance AND Latin mastodes, nipple-like, mastoid (from
its shape). Meaning; a conical protuberance of the posterior portion of the temporal bone that is
situated behind the ear in humans and many other vertebrates and serves as a site of muscle
attachment.
Menisci; pl meniscus (below).
Meniscus- from Greek, meniskos, crescent. Meaning; a disk of cartilage that acts as a cushion
between the ends of bones in a joint.
Mesenchyme; from Greek, mesos + enchyma, infusion. Meaning; the part of the embryonic
mesoderm that consists of loosely packed, unspecialized cells that are set in a gelatinous ground
substance, from which connective tissue, bone, cartilage, and the circulatory and lymphatic systems
develop.
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Metacarpals; Meaning; any of the five long bones that form the metacarpus and articulate with the
bones of the distal row of the carpus and with the five proximal phalanges.
Metatarsals; from Greek, meta + tarsos, flat surface. Meaning; any of the five long bones that form
the anterior portion of the foot and articulate posteriorly with the three cuneiform and the cuboid
bones and anteriorly with the five proximal phalanges.
Nociceptors; Meaning; a group of cells that acts as a receptor for painful stimuli. Minor stress from a
mechanical, chemical, thermal, or any other damaging stimulus may prime these cells.
Nucleus Pulposus; Meaning; The centre portion of the intervertebral disk that is made up of a
gelatinous substance.
Ossicles; The three small bones of the middle ear: the malleus (hammer), the incus (anvil) and the
stapes (stirrup). These bones help carry sound from the eardrum to the inner ear.
Ossification; from Latin, os, bone AND facere, formation. Meaning; to make formation of or
conversion into bone or a bony substance. ‘These tracheal cartilages may ossify’.
Osteoarthritis; from Greek, osteon AND arthron, bone joint AND itis, inflammation. Meaning; a
progressive disorder of the joints caused by gradual loss of cartilage and resulting in the
development of bony spurs and cysts at the margins of the joints.
Osteoblasts; from Greek, osteon, bone + blastos, germ. Meaning; a cell from which bone develops; a
bone-forming cell.
Osteoclasts; Meaning; Bone cells that break down and remove bone tissue.
Osteocytes; from Greek osteo, bone AND cyte, hollow vessel, cell. Meaning; a branched cell
embedded in the matrix of bone tissue.
Osteogenesis; from Greek, osteon, bone + genesis, origin. Meaning; formation and development of
bony tissue.
Osteomalacia; from Greek, osteon bone + malakia, out. Meaning; softening inadequate or delayed
mineralization of osteoid in mature cortical and spongy bone; it is the adult equivalent of rickets and
accompanies that disorder in children.
Osteomyelitis; from Greek, osteon bone AND myelos, marrow AND itis, inflammation. Meaning; a
bone infection, almost always caused by a bacteria. Over time, the result can be destruction of the
bone itself.
Osteons; from Greek, osteo, bone. Meaning; the basic unit of structure of compact bone, comprising
a haversian canal and its concentrically arranged lamellae.
Osteoporosis; from Greek, osteon bone AND poros, passage AND osis, condition. Meaning;
abnormal rarefaction of bone.
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Periosteum; Greek, peri around or about AND osteon, bone. Meaning the thick fibrous membrane
covering the entire surface of a bone except its articular cartilage and serving as an attachment for
muscles and tendons.
Phagocytosis; from Greek, phagein + kytos, hollow vessel or cell + osis, condition. Meaning;
condition the engulfing of microorganisms or other cells and foreign particles by phagocytes. ‘Fc
receptors mediate various effects on immune cells, including proliferation of B cells and
phagocytosis by phagocytes.’
Phalanges; plural from Latin phalanx, finger or toe. Meaning; the bones of the fingers and toes.
Polyuria ; from Greek, polys, many AND ouron, urine. Meaning; excessive passage of urine.
Prone; from Latin, pronare, to bend forward. Meaning; lying with the front or face downward.
Pubis; pl. pubes from Latin, pubic bone. Meaning pubic bone.
Quadriparesis; from Latin quadri, four AND paresis, weakness. Meaning; neurology weakness of
both arms and both legs.
Radius, from Latin, ray, spoke of a wheel. Meaning; the bone on the outer or thumb side of the
forearm, articulating proximally with the humerus and ulna and distally with the ulna and carpus.
Sacrum; from Latin, sacer, sacred. Meaning; the triangular bone just below the lumbar vertebrae,
formed usually by five fused vertebrae and lodged dorsally between the hip bones.
Sagittal; from Latin sagitta, arrow. Meaning of or relating to the suture uniting the two parietal
bones of the skull.
Scapula; from Latin pl. Scapulae, shoulder. Meaning; either of two large, flat, triangular bones
forming the back part of the shoulder.
Sclerosis; from Greek sklerosis, hardening. Meaning; a thickening or hardening of a body part, as of
an artery, especially from excessive formation of fibrous interstitial tissue.
Scoliosis; from Greek skolios, crooked AND -osis, condition. Meaning; abnormal lateral curvature of
the spine.
Sesamoid; from Greek sesamoeides, shaped like a sesame seed AND -oeides, -oid. Meaning; of or
designating any of certain small modular bones or cartilages that develop in a tendon or in the
capsule of a joint.
Spina Bifida; from Latin spina, spine AND Latin bifida, feminine of bifidus, split in two. Meaning; a
congenital defect in which the spinal column is imperfectly closed so that part of the meninges or
spinal cord protrudes, often resulting in hydrocephalus and other neurological disorders.
Sternum; from Greek sternon, breast or breastbone. Meaning; a long flat bone in most vertebrates
that is situated along the ventral midline of the thorax and articulates with the ribs.
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Subchrondral; from Greek sub, below AND chondral, cartilage. Below the cartilage.
Supine; from Latin, supinus. Meaning; lying on the back; having the face upward. ‘A supine man is
roughly dragged off like a carcass.’
Sutures; from Latin, suture, stitch. Meaning; a. A stitch or series of stitches made to secure
apposition of the edges of a surgical or traumatic wound.
Synovial; from Latin Synovium, with egg. Meaning; pertaining to, consisting of, or secreting synovia,
the lubricating fluid of the joints, bursae, and tendon sheaths.
Temporal; from Latin, tempus, time. Meaning; relating to, or near the temples of the skull.
Tendons; from Greek, tenon, to stretch. Meaning; a fibrous cord of connective tissue continuous
with the fibers of a muscle and attaching the muscle to bone or cartilage.
Tibia; from Latin, shin bone. Meaning; shin bone; the inner and larger bone of the leg below the
knee.
Trabeculae; from Latin trabs, little beam. Meaning; the part of the eye in front of the canal of
Schlemm and within the angle created by the iris and the cornea, responsible for aqueous drainage.
Ulna; from Latin, elbow. Meaning; the larger bone of the two bones of the forearm, extending from
elbow to wrist on the side opposite the thumb.
Uric acid; Mod eng med. Meaning; a semisolid compound that is a nitrogenous end product of
protein and purine metabolism and is a nitrogenous component of urine.
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