Meaning & use
condyle
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Meaning
nouncountablemedical
A smooth rounded knob at the end of a bone that fits into a socket or against another bone to form a joint.
Grammar: Usually named by location: the lateral condyle of the femur.
Patterns
- the condyle of something
- a condyle on something
The surgeon found a hairline crack in the condyle at the lower end of the thighbone.
The condyle of the jawbone slides forward inside its socket when you open your mouth wide.
Cartilage covers each condyle so the joint moves without grinding.
Word forms
| plural | condyles |
|---|
Common combinations
- lateral condyle
- The X-ray showed swelling around the lateral condyle of the knee.
- medial condyle
- The medial condyle sits on the inner side of the joint.
- mandibular condyle
- A blow to the chin can fracture the mandibular condyle.
- femoral condyle
- Wear on the femoral condyle can cause pain when climbing stairs.
- fracture of the condyle
- A fracture of the condyle often needs a specialist to set it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- head
- Head is the everyday anatomical word for a rounded bone end such as the femoral head, but it is less specific than condyle, which suggests a knuckle-like surface paired with another bone.
- knuckle
- Knuckle is an everyday word for the joint of a finger, while condyle is the clinical name for the bony bump itself and applies to many joints.
- epicondyle
- An epicondyle is a smaller bump sitting just above a condyle, so it names a neighbouring structure rather than the same one.
Word family
- condylar adjective
- relating to a condyle
- epicondyle noun
- a bony projection above a condyle
- epicondylitis noun
- inflammation near an epicondyle, as in tennis elbow
- bicondylar adjective
- having two condyles
Commonly confused: condyle or codeine?
condyle vs codeine
Codeine is a painkilling drug and has nothing to do with bones, though the two are sometimes misspelled alike in medical notes.
Practice
A radiologist reports a break in the rounded end of the thighbone where it meets the shinbone. Which word names that bony part?
Choose one answer.
A condyle is the rounded knob at a bone's end that forms a joint. A ramus is a branch of a bone, a tendon is soft tissue, and a sinus is a cavity.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “condyle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.