ulna

IPA/ˈʌlnə/
IPA/ˈʌlnə/

ulna — noun

  • ulnasingular
  • ulnaeplural

1. the bone in the forearm on the same side as the little finger, running from the

1.nounB2
Definition

the bone in the forearm on the same side as the little finger, running from the elbow to the wrist and longer than the radius

Example

Ignacio snapped his ulna when he fell from his bicycle last Tuesday.

snap + [bone]: sudden break from impact or fall

The X-ray showed a thin crack running the length of Maja's left ulna.

Common collocations
  • fractured ulna
  • broken ulna
  • left ulna
  • right ulna

Common Mistakes

I broke my ulna on the thumb side of my arm.
I broke my radius on the thumb side of my arm.
the ulna is on the little-finger side; the radius is on the thumb side.

Word family

  • ulnar
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

The ulna and radius are the two long bones of the forearm, and learners often confuse them. The ulna is the longer bone on the little-finger side of the arm; the radius is the shorter bone on the thumb side. At the elbow, the ulna creates the bony bump you can feel, while the radius stays thinner there and widens at the wrist. When you twist your hand from palm up to palm down, the radius rotates around the ulna — the ulna stays mostly still. A simple way to remember: hold your arm out palm up; the ulna is the inner bone, closest to your body.

radius ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • fracture of the ulna
  • shaft of the ulna
  • head of the ulna

Phrases

  • the ulna and radius

Prepositions

  • along the ulna
  • in the ulna

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Borrowed from Latin ulna, meaning 'elbow' or 'forearm'. The word shares an ancient root with Greek ōlenē ('elbow') and Old English eln ('ell', a unit of length based on the forearm). English anatomists adopted the term in the 16th century to name the specific bone.

First known use

1541

1541, in the meaning defined above