semilunar bone
- noun
- /ˈsɛmɪˌlunər boʊn/
- Specialized
:
hueso semilunar
- The semilunar bone is located in the center of the wrist, among the eight carpal bones.
Examples
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An injury to the semilunar bone may cause pain or limited movement in the hand.
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Doctors identified a fracture in the patient's semilunar bone after the fall.
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The semilunar bone is located in the center of the wrist among the carpal bones.
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The semilunar bone is crucial for wrist movement.
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Did you know the semilunar bones help in gripping objects?
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An injury to the semilunar bone may cause pain or limited movement in the hand.
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Doctors identified a fracture in the patient's semilunar bone after the fall.
Synonyms
A small bone in the middle of the wrist shaped like a half moon that helps hand movement
A small bone in the wrist near the middle of the first row of bones
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a crescent-shaped bone' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'semilunar' (shaped like a crescent or half-moon) with 'bone' (a skeletal element). This compositional structure is literal and cross-linguistically recognizable (e.g. lunate/semilunar in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Semilunar bone gets its name from its shape: semi means 'half' and lunar means 'moon', so the bone looks like a small half-moon. That's why semilunar bone refers to the crescent-shaped bone in the wrist.
