navicular

Meanings

1. 1nouncountabletechnicalmedical

   A small boat-shaped bone in the foot or wrist, or a similar bone in some animals.

   Grammar: Countable: one navicular, two naviculars; often used with the definite article: the navicular.

   Patterns

   • the navicular bone
   • a fractured navicular

   The doctor said the pain came from the navicular, a small bone near the arch of the foot.

   Horses can develop inflammation of the navicular bone, which may cause lameness.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nountechnicalmedical

   Shaped like a small boat; used especially in anatomy to describe certain bones.

   Grammar: Comes before a noun: the navicular bone; not usually used after a verb.

   Patterns

   • the navicular bone
   • a navicular shape

   The navicular bone sits on the inner side of the foot.

   In biology class we learned that the navicular shape helps the bone fit neatly between others.

Word forms

Common combinations

navicular bone

He broke his navicular bone while playing football.

navicular disease

Navicular disease is a common cause of lameness in horses.

the navicular

The surgeon examined the navicular carefully.

Synonyms and how they differ

scaphoid

A near-synonym in anatomy; scaphoid is the more common term for the boat-shaped bone in the wrist, while navicular is used for the foot bone or in veterinary contexts.

boat-shaped

A descriptive phrase rather than a technical term; it can describe any boat-shaped object, not just bones.

Commonly confused: navicular or avascular? navicular or vesicular?

Practice

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