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whirl-bone. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
whirl-bone, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
whirl-bone in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
whirl-bone you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
From Middle English whirlebon, whyrlebone, whorlbane (“hip or hip joint; the thighbone, femur; the rounded head of the femur; the kneecap, patella; a vertebra; ankle”), perhaps an alteration of Old English hweorfbān (“a joint, kneecap, vertebra”), equivalent to whirl + bone. Cognate with Scots whorlebone, whorle-bane (“hip bone, joint, vertebra”), German Wirbelbein (“vertebra”).
Noun
whirl-bone (plural whirl-bones)
- (medicine, archaic) The patella, rotula, or kneecap.
- (medicine, archaic) The head of the femur.