femur

IPA/ˈfiːmə(r)/
KK[fˈimɚ]IPA/ˈfiːmər/

femur — noun

  • femursingular
  • femursplural

1. the main bone inside the thigh, linking the hip area with the knee

1.nounB2
Definition

the main bone inside the thigh, linking the hip area with the knee

Example

Christopher broke his femur in a bicycle crash near the market.

break one's femur — common injury phrasing

The doctor traced the femur from the hip down to Lara's knee.

from the hip down to the knee — basic anatomy description

Common collocations
  • broken femur
  • left femur
  • right femur
  • femur fracture
  • fracture of the femur
  • neck of the femur
Synonyms
  • thigh bone

    the everyday non-technical name for the same bone

  • upper leg bone

    a plain explanatory phrase, not the standard anatomical label

Grammar Patterns

the femur

fracture of the femur

break one's femur

Usage Note

In everyday conversation, many people say 'thigh bone' instead of femur. Use femur when you mean the specific bone inside the thigh, not the whole upper leg.

Common Mistakes

The X-ray showed a break in his thigh.
The X-ray showed a break in his femur.
'Thigh' usually names the body part, while 'femur' names the bone inside it.

Word family

  • femoral
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Femur is the formal anatomical name for the single large bone inside the thigh. In everyday conversation, many people say thigh bone instead, especially when speaking simply or explaining an injury to a child. Do not confuse femur with thigh: the thigh is the whole upper part of the leg, including muscle and skin, while the femur is only the bone inside it. It is also different from the tibia, which is the large lower-leg bone below the knee. When the exact bone matters in surgery, scans, or anatomy class, femur is the better word because it identifies one structure precisely.

thigh bonethigh ↗tibia

Common collocations

Nouns

  • broken femur
  • femur fracture
  • left femur
  • right femur

Phrases

  • fracture of the femur
  • neck of the femur

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Femur came into English from Latin femur, meaning 'thigh'. English kept the Latin form as a scientific term and narrowed it to the bone inside the thigh rather than the whole upper leg.