furcula
9.9
Two collar bones join to form a small V-shaped bone that helps birds fly
- noun
- /ˈfɜrkjʊlə/
- Specialized
:
furcula
- During the Thanksgiving dinner, we all took turns pulling the furcula to see who would have good luck.
Examples
-
Were you aware that Tyrannosaurus rex had fused furcula?
-
Birdwatchers often admire the furcula of birds, as it plays a key role in their flight mechanics.
-
The chef explained that the furcula, commonly known as the wishbone, is often saved for holiday traditions.
Synonyms
wishbone
vsfurcula
14
5.6
A forked bone in a chicken's chest that children pull to make wishes
is the technical term for that same fused clavicle structure
1
8.9
A forked bone from a chicken or turkey pulled for luck
is the anatomical name for that fused bone beyond the game context
Surface Forms
Etymology
Furcula comes from the Latin root furca, which means 'fork', plus a small ending that makes it 'little', so furcula literally means 'little fork'. That's why the V-shaped bone in birds, often called the wishbone, is named the furcula — it looks like a small fork and helps strengthen a bird's chest for flight.