occipital condyle

noun

, Anatomy.

1. a protrusion on the occipital bone of the skull that forms a joint with the first cervical vertebra, enabling the head to move relative to the neck.

Word History and Origins

Origin of occipital condyle¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

So Mr. Engelman turned to the occipital condyle, the joint that helps connect an animal’s skull with its spine.

From New York Times

He discovered that the occipital condyle width was an accurate predictor of their dimensions.

From New York Times

Pa, Parietal bone. oc, Occipital condyle. pp, Paroccipital process. i�, i�, and i�, The three incisor teeth. c, The canine tooth. pm�, The situation of the rudimentary first premolar, which has been lost in the lower, but is present in the upper jaw. pm�, pm�, and pm4, The three fully developed premolar teeth. m�, m�, and m�, The three true molar teeth.

From Project Gutenberg

Posteriorly, this bone forms the ventral part of the occipital condyle.

From Project Gutenberg

Further analysis suggested that it was part of a dog's skull—the occipital condyle, a knoblike structure on the back of the head, near the first vertebra—and studies by fellow University of Maine graduate student Robert Ingraham at the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology showed that it closely matched that from a Native American dog collected in New Mexico.

From Science Magazine