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Glite Dictionary
olecranon process

olecranon process

1 9.9
The bony bump at the back of the elbow that fits into the upper arm when the arm is straight
  • noun
  • /oʊˈlɛkrənɒn ˈprɒsɛs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : proceso olecraneano
  • During the surgery, the surgeon carefully examined the olecranon process for any signs of damage.
  • fracture to the olecranon process

Examples

  • This is usually the case on pressure points, such as the olecranon process, but nodules may also occur at other sites, including internal organs, such as the lung.

    Academic text (2007)

  • As in the standard internal rotation muscle test, the subject was positioned prone, a leather wrist strap was placed around the arm 15 cm distal to the olecranon process, and that strap was connected to a strain gauge by a chain.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The doctor pointed to the olecranon process to explain the injury on the patient's elbow.

  • The athlete experienced pain in the olecranon process after falling and landing on his arm.

Synonyms

olecranon
vsolecranon process
  • Specialized
1 9.9

The bony point at the back of the elbow you can feel

is the identical anatomical term presented as an alternate form

Surface Forms

olecranon process singular
olecranon processes plural

Morphology

olecranon + process

Both constituents denote a projection: 'olecranon' specifically names the ulna projection at the elbow and 'process' means a physical projection or prominence, so the compound simply describes that bony projection. Although the term is technical, its meaning is directly compositional and mirrors common anatomical naming patterns cross-linguistically, so a learner who knows the constituents would grasp the MWE.

Etymology

Olecranon process comes from Greek: olecranon was the Greek word for the 'elbow', and process means a bone 'point' or projection. So the name literally describes the hard 'bump' you feel at the tip of the elbow, which is what it means today.