fibula
fibula Lexical Profile
fibula Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The outer and usually smaller of the two bones between the knee and the ankle in humans and other terrestrial vertebrates, situated parallel to the tibia.
"The athlete fractured her distal fibula after landing awkwardly during the championship match."
An ancient brooch, clasp, or safety pin used in Greek, Roman, and early medieval times to fasten garments such as cloaks or tunics.
"The museum's classical antiquities gallery displays an ornate bronze fibula excavated from a Roman villa."
Word Nuance & Usage
In anatomy, the fibula is the thinner, outer bone of the lower leg, distinct from the larger, weight-bearing inner bone, the tibia (shinbone).
• Rhymes for fibula
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'fibula', meaning a clasp, buckle, or brooch, derived from the verb 'figere' (to fasten). Its anatomical application arose as a translation of the Ancient Greek 'perone' (brooch pin), because the slender outer bone alongside the thicker tibia resembles the pin of a clasp.