Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A flat triangular bone located at the front of the knee joint.
- noun A dish-shaped anatomical formation.
- noun A pan or dish in ancient Rome.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A small pan, vase, or dish.
- noun In anatomy, a small movable bone situated in front of the knee-joint, which it helps to form. Also called knee-pan, kneecap, rotula, or great sesamoid. See cuts under knee-joint, Catarrhina, and Elephantinæ.
- noun In zoology: A cotyle; a cup-like formation.
- noun A limpet of the genus Patella.
- noun In entomology, the first joint of the coxa.
- noun [capitalized] [NL.] In conchology, a Linnean genus of gastropods, type of the family Patellidæ, to which very different limits have been assigned.
- noun In botany, an orbicular apothecium with a marginal rim.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A small dish, pan, or vase.
- noun (Anat.) The kneecap; the kneepan; the cap of the knee.
- noun (Zoöl.) A genus of marine gastropods, including many species of limpets. The shell has the form of a flattened cone. The common European limpet (
Patella vulgata ) is largely used for food. - noun (Bot.) A kind of apothecium in lichens, which is orbicular, flat, and sessile, and has a special rim not a part of the thallus.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun anatomy The
sesamoid bone of theknee ; thekneecap .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a small flat triangular bone in front of the knee that protects the knee joint
- noun type genus of the family Patellidae: common European limpets
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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Temporary luxation of the patella is a common affection of the horse and fixed luxation of this bone also occurs.
Lameness of the Horse Veterinary Practitioners' Series, No. 1 John Victor Lacroix
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Luxation of the patella is a condition wherein the articular portions of the femur and patella assume abnormal relations whether such displacement of the patella be momentary and capable of spontaneous reduction, or fixed and requiring corrective manipulation.
Lameness of the Horse Veterinary Practitioners' Series, No. 1 John Victor Lacroix
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The patella is a great defence to the front of the knee-joint, and distributes upon a large and tolerably even surface, during kneeling, the pressure which would otherwise fall upon the prominent ridges of the condyles; it also affords leverage to the Quadriceps femoris.
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Among other defects with which it may be associated, absence or deficient development of the patella is the most frequent.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. Alexander Miles 1893
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MINNEAPOLIS -- J.J. Putz exited Thursday's 11-0 victory over the Twins with what the reliever described as patella inflammation in his right knee.
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I have researched luxating patella, that is the only thing that I can think that this is. awww .... poor little baby.
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In which part of your body is the "patella": the arm, the knee or the skull?
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If the area just below the kneecap ( "patella") is tapped lightly, that tendon is struck and the thigh muscle is momentarily stretched.
The Human Brain Asimov, Isaac 1963
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Indeed, the lemma paella has become so deeply entrenched in our everyday parlance that it has lost its connection to the etymon patina (patena) and later patella, meaning
Do Bianchi Do Bianchi 2010
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Indeed, the lemma paella has become so deeply entrenched in our everyday parlance that it has lost its connection to the etymon patina (patena) and later patella, meaning
Do Bianchi Do Bianchi 2010
sonofgroucho commented on the word patella
More elegant than "kneecap", IMHO.
October 5, 2007
yarb commented on the word patella
Nah. You want your kneecap to sound knobbly. Your latin words are no good here.
October 5, 2007
reesetee commented on the word patella
I don't know...Patella would be as nice a name for a girl as lunette. :-)
October 5, 2007
uselessness commented on the word patella
Patty for short?
October 5, 2007
sonofgroucho commented on the word patella
I think Patella would be an upmarket sort of chick (to be non-pc for a moment).
October 5, 2007
reesetee commented on the word patella
Maybe Telly. Unless you'd confuse her w/ a bald guy that sucks lollipops.
October 5, 2007