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Glite Dictionary
appendicular skeleton

appendicular skeleton

6.7
Bones of the arms, legs, and the shoulder and hip parts that attach them to the body
  • noun
  • /ˌæpənˈdɪkjələr ˈskɛlɪtən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : esqueleto apendicular
  • The surgeon focused on repairing fractures in the appendicular skeleton, which includes the arms and legs.

Examples

  • Why don't you recite the bones of the upper appendicular skeleton?

    Can't Buy Me Love (1987)

  • The most prevalent musculoskeletal injuries were arthritis in the appendicular skeleton and vertebral spondylosis.

    Academic text (2010)

  • In anatomy class, we learned that the appendicular skeleton connects the limbs to the central body structure.

  • Athletes often suffer from injuries to their appendicular skeleton due to the high impact of their sports.

Antonyms

axial skeleton
  • Specialized
4.6

Bones that form the head, spine, and chest and protect the brain and organs inside the chest

Surface Forms

appendicular skeleton singular
appendicular skeletons plural

Morphology

appendicular + skeleton

The meaning is directly compositional: 'appendicular' (relating to the limbs) combined with 'skeleton' (the bones) yields the skeleton portion made up of the limbs and their attachments. Although 'appendicular' is technical and low-frequency, a learner who already knows that adjective can transparently infer the MWE's referent without idiomatic knowledge.

Etymology

Appendicular skeleton comes from the idea of an 'appendage', a part 'attached' to the main body; appendicular means related to those attachments and skeleton means the bones. That's why appendicular skeleton refers to the bones of the 'arms and legs' and the bones that attach them to the body.