Meaning & use
carpus
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablemedicaltechnical
The cluster of eight small bones in the wrist that joins the forearm bones to the hand.
Grammar: Countable; plural is carpi: the carpus of the left hand.
Patterns
- the carpus of something
- a fracture of the carpus
The X-ray showed a break in one of the bones of the carpus.
In humans, the carpus is made up of eight small bones in two rows.
Students had to label the carpus on the skeleton diagram.
nouncountablebiologyspecialist
The joint in an animal's front leg that corresponds to a human wrist, as in the horse, where it is often called the knee.
Grammar: Countable; used in veterinary and zoological writing: the carpus of a horse.
Patterns
- the carpus of a horse
The vet examined the swollen carpus of the horse.
In a dog, the carpus lies just above the paw.
Word forms
| plural | carpi |
|---|
Common combinations
- bones of the carpus
- There are eight bones of the carpus in each wrist.
- fracture of the carpus
- A fracture of the carpus can be hard to see on an X-ray.
- carpus and metacarpus
- Anatomists study the carpus and metacarpus together.
- injury to the carpus
- The pianist suffered an injury to the carpus.
- carpus of the horse
- The carpus of the horse takes heavy strain when it jumps.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wrist
- Wrist is the everyday word for the joint, whereas carpus is the anatomical term for the group of bones within it.
- wrist bones
- Wrist bones is the plain-English equivalent of the carpus, used outside medical writing.
- carpal region
- Carpal region is also technical and covers the wrist area including soft tissue, not just the bones.
Word family
- carpal adjective
- relating to the wrist, as in carpal tunnel
- metacarpus noun
- the bones of the palm between the wrist and the fingers
- metacarpal noun
- one of the bones of the palm
- carpi noun
- plural of carpus
Commonly confused: carpus or tarsus? carpus or carp?
carpus vs tarsus
The tarsus is the set of bones in the ankle and rear foot, a close relative of the carpus but in the lower limb.
carpus vs carp
Carp is a freshwater fish or the verb to complain, and it has nothing to do with the wrist.
Practice
In anatomy, which part of the body does the carpus form?
Choose one answer.
The carpus is the group of small bones in the wrist. The ankle's equivalent is the tarsus, and the elbow and knee are different joints.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “carpus”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.