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fetter bone

fetter bone

9.9
A long bone in a horse's lower leg between the joint above the hoof and the hoof
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : hueso del fetlock
  • The veterinarian examined the horse’s fetter bone for signs of injury.

Examples

  • Fractures in the fetter bone can cause lameness in racehorses.

  • Proper care of the hoof helps protect the fetter bone from stress and damage.

  • The fetter bone is crucial for its overall structure.

  • Did you notice any swelling around the fetter bone?

  • Fractures in the fetter bone can cause lameness in racehorses.

  • Proper care of the hoof helps protect the fetter bone from stress and damage.

  • The veterinarian examined the horse's fetter bone for signs of injury.

Surface Forms

fetter bone singular
fetter bones plural

Morphology

fetter + bone

A B1 learner who knows 'fetter' as a shackle and 'bone' as skeletal tissue would not be able to infer a specific anatomical bone in a horse from those meanings. 'Fetter bone' is a specialised, historically derived term (related to fetlock/pastern anatomy) rather than a transparent compound, so its sense is unpredictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Fetter bone comes from the old word fetter, a metal 'shackle' put around a horse's lower leg, and bone for the actual bone. So the name points to the bone where a fetter would sit and now means the long bone between the fetlock and the hoof.