The Musculoskeletal System: English Vocabulary List

any of the hard pieces making up the skeleton in humans and some animals

"The bone was broken."

"Bones help support the body and protect organs."

an elastic tissue that supports or connects joints in an infant and turns into skeleton during growth

"The shark's skeleton is made of cartilage."

"The nose cartilage gives shape and support to the nose structure."

a transformed cartilaginous structure that has undergone ossification

"Cartilage bone forms."

"Cartilage bone forms through endochondral ossification where cartilage is gradually replaced by bone tissue."

(anatomy) a strong band of tissue which connects two bones or cartilages or keeps organs in place

"The ligament connects bone to bone."

"Ligaments connect bones to other bones at joints providing stability and limiting excessive movement."

a fluid-filled sac that reduces friction between tissues such as bones, tendons, and muscles

"The bursa reduces joint friction."

"The bursa is a fluid filled sac that reduces friction between tendons and bones during movement."

the central part of the skeleton that includes the skull, vertebral column, and ribcage

"The axial skeleton includes the skull."

"The axial skeleton includes the skull vertebral column ribs and sternum forming the body's central axis."

a single muscle that is located along the central axis of the body, including the head, neck, and trunk

"Axial muscles support the head neck."

"Axial muscles are located along the trunk and control posture breathing and movement of the spine."

a tendon in the leg that attaches the muscles of the calf to the bone of the heel

"He tore his Achilles tendon."

"The Achilles tendon connects the calf to the heel."

(anatomy) an elastic cord or band that connects a muscle to a bone

"He tore a tendon playing football."

"He tore a tendon in his knee while playing basketball and needed surgery to repair the damage."

the bony structure that surrounds and provides protection for a person's or animal's brain

"The skull protects the brain."

"The skull was found in the cave during the expedition."

a piece of body tissue that is made tight or relaxed when we want to move a particular part of our body

"He has strong muscles."

"Exercise helps build muscle and improves overall strength."

(anatomy) one of the five tendons at the back of someone's knee

"He injured his hamstring."

"The athlete experienced a painful tear in his hamstring during the final sprint of the race."

a line of connected bones going down from your neck to tail bone in the middle of the back

"The backbone supports the body."

"A strong backbone is essential for standing and moving well."

the large muscle at the front of the upper part of the arm, which flexes the forearm

"His biceps are huge."

"After months of dedicated training, the bodybuilder proudly displayed his well-developed biceps to the admiring crowd at the competition."

a long flat bone at the center of the chest that connects the ribs and the shoulder girdle

"Breastbone protects heart."

"The breastbone protects important organs like the heart and lungs in the chest."

the bone that is just below the eye

"Her cheekbone was prominent."

"Her high cheekbones gave her face an elegant structure that photographers found very appealing for portraits."

(anatomy) the structure that encloses the inner surface of the eye which consists of the muscle which makes the eye move

"The ciliary body focuses the lens."

"The ciliary body produces aqueous humor and contains muscles that change the shape of the lens for focusing."

the long, curved bone that connects the shoulder blade to the sternum

"The clavicle connects shoulder."

"The clavicle supports shoulder movement and stability."

either of the pair of bones that go across the top of the chest from the base of the neck to the shoulders

"He broke his collarbone."

"The collarbone connects the shoulder to the chest."

(anatomy) the bone structure that surrounds and protects the brain

"The cranium protects the brain."

"The hard cranium protects the brain from injury during accidents."

(anatomy) a large muscle, triangular in shape that covers the shoulder joint and helps the arm to abduct and rotate

"The deltoid muscle raises the arm."

"The deltoid muscle covers the shoulder and allows arm abduction forward movement and rotation."

a muscle that helps a body part or limb be stretched out by contraction

"The extensor muscle straightens the joint."

"The extensor muscles straighten joints by increasing the angle between bones such as straightening the elbow."

(anatomy) the longest bone in the top part of the human leg between the hip and the knee

"The femur is the thigh bone."

"The femur is the longest bone in the human body."

(anatomy) a long bone in the arm that extends from the shoulder to the elbow

"The humerus is the upper arm bone."

"The humerus is the long bone of the upper arm extending from the shoulder to the elbow."

(anatomy) the outer and narrower of the two bones between the ankle and the knee

"The fibula runs alongside the tibia."

"The fibula is the thinner lower leg bone that runs parallel to the tibia and provides ankle stability."

(anatomy) a muscle that allows one to bend a limb or body part by contraction

"The flexor muscle bends the joint."

"The flexor muscles bend joints by decreasing the angle between bones such as curling the bicep."

either of the bones that form the jaw, particularly the lower jaw

"The jawbone hurt."

"The fossilized jawbone contained teeth that helped scientists identify the ancient species of early human."

a small bone that covers the front of the knee joint

"The kneecap protects the knee joint."

"The kneecap protects the knee joint and increases the leverage of the quadriceps muscle when straightening the leg."

(anatomy) any of the five bones of the foot between the ankle and the toes

"The metatarsal bones are in foot."

"The metatarsal bones form the middle part of the foot between the ankle and the toes."

(biology) the overall arrangement or the system of muscles in a human or an animal's body

"His musculature is well defined."

"The athlete's well developed musculature came from years of dedicated strength training and proper nutrition."

(anatomy) the trapezoidal bone that is at the base and lower back of the cranium, though which the spinal cord passes

"The occipital bone forms skull back."

"The occipital bone forms the back and base of the skull surrounding the foramen magnum."

the singular bone located at the front of the skull, forming the forehead and upper eye sockets for structural support and protection

"The frontal bone forms the forehead."

"The frontal bone forms the forehead and the upper part of the eye sockets."

a cranial bone that forms the sides and roof of the skull, offering protection for the brain

"The parietal bones form skull sides."

"The two parietal bones form the upper sides and roof of the skull protecting the brain."

a butterfly-shaped bone, contributing to its structure and housing important structures

"The sphenoid bone sits behind eyes."

"The sphenoid bone is a complex butterfly shaped bone at the base of the skull."

a cranial bone located on the sides and base of the skull, housing the ear structures and contributing to jaw movement

"The temporal bone houses ear structures."

"The temporal bone houses the structures of the inner and middle ear and forms part of the skull base."

a facial bone that forms the prominence of the cheek and connects various other facial bones

"The zygoma forms the cheekbone arch."

"The zygoma is the cheekbone that connects the maxilla to the temporal bone near the ear."

a facial bone that contributes to the structure of the cheek and forms part of the eye socket

"The zygomatic bone forms the cheek."

"The zygomatic bones form the prominences of the cheeks just below the eyes."

a facial bone that forms the central part of the face, supporting the upper teeth

"The maxilla forms the upper jaw."

"The maxilla is the upper jawbone that holds the upper teeth and forms part of the eye sockets and nasal cavity."

(anatomy) a small bone triangular in shape that covers and protects the front part of the knee joint

"The patella protects the knee."

"The patella is a triangular sesamoid bone embedded within the quadriceps tendon in front of the knee."

(anatomy) the large round bone structure that the limbs and the spine are joined to, which also protects the abdominal organs

"The pelvis supports the body."

"The pelvis protects internal reproductive organs."

(anatomy) any of the four large muscles at the front of the thigh that allow the knee joint to stretch

"The quadriceps straighten the leg."

"The quadriceps are a group of four muscles on the front of the thigh that straighten the knee."

(anatomy) the bony structure in the chest formed by the ribs which protects organs in the thoracic cavity

"The punch hurt his ribcage."

"The strong ribcage protects the heart and lungs from injury."

(anatomy) a large bone at the lower part of the spinal column between the two hip bones of the pelvis

"The sacrum connects spine to pelvis."

"The sacrum is a triangular bone at the base of the spine formed by five fused vertebrae."

the inner and larger bone of the pair of bones between the ankle and the knee

"The shin bone is the tibia."

"The shin bone or tibia bears most of the body's weight and connects the knee to the ankle."

(anatomy) each of the pair of triangular bones that connect the humerus to the clavicle

"The scapula is the shoulder blade."

"The scapula connects with the clavicle."

each of the pair of triangular bones that connect the upper arm bone with the collar bone

"The shoulder blade connects arm to body."

"The shoulder blade is a flat triangular bone that connects the upper arm to the collarbone."

an elastic cord or band that connects a muscle to a bone

"The sinew attaches muscle to bone."

"The tendon also called sinew connects muscle to bone and is composed of tough fibrous tissue."

(anatomy) a ring of muscle that can open or close an opening, such as anus, in the body

"The sphincter controls waste release."

"The anal sphincter is a ring of muscle that opens and closes to control bowel movements."

(anatomy) a long flat bone at the center of the chest that connects the ribs to the shoulder girdle

"The sternum connects the rib bones."

"The sternum is the flat breastbone at the center of the chest that connects to the ribs."

the small triangular bone at the end of the spinal column in humans or tailless primates

"The tail bone is coccyx remnant."

"The tail bone is a small triangular bone at the very bottom of the spine and is a remnant of a tail."

(anatomy) any of the cluster of seven small bones in the foot between the ankle and upper foot

"Tarsal bones form the ankle."

"The tarsal bones are the seven short bones that form the ankle and the back part of the foot."

the longest bone in the human skeleton which is between the hip and the knee

"The thighbone is the longest bone."

"The thighbone is the longest and strongest bone in the human body extending from hip to knee."

(anatomy) the inner and larger of the two bones between the ankle and the knee

"The tibia bears most body weight."

"The tibia is the larger weight bearing shin bone that connects the knee to the ankle."

(anatomy) the three-headed muscle of the arm that functions as the extensor of the elbow joint

"The triceps straightens the elbow."

"The triceps muscle at the back of the upper arm straightens the elbow against resistance."

(anatomy) the thinner and longer bone of the human forearm extending from the elbow to the wrist

"The ulna runs beside the radius."

"The ulna is the longer of the two forearm bones located on the side of the little finger."

(anatomy) any of the bony segments and cartilages of the spinal column

"The injury damaged a vertebra in his spine."

"The doctor said he had a broken vertebra after the serious car accident last month."

a small bone found in the middle ear that helps transmit sound vibrations and facilitate hearing

"The ossicle is a tiny ear bone."

"The three ossicles in the middle ear are the smallest bones in the human body."