whirl-bone

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See also: whirlbone

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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

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whirl-bone (plural whirl-bones)

  1. (medicine, archaic) The patella, rotula, or kneecap.
  2. (medicine, archaic) The head of the femur.