tarsal

[ tahr-suhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the tarsus of the foot.
2. pertaining to the tarsi of the eyelids.

noun

1. a tarsal bone, joint, or the like.

tarsal

/ ˈtɑːsəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or constituting the tarsus or tarsi

noun

1. a tarsal bone

tarsal

/ tär′səl /

Adjective

1. Relating to or involving the ankle.

Noun

1. Any of the seven bones of the tarsus.

Other Words From

• inter·tarsal adjective
• post·tarsal adjective
• sub·tarsal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tarsal¹

First recorded in 1810–20; tars(us) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

But this is from the bug’s tarsal claws, not its mouth, Dr. Urban said.

From New York Times

"This new insect clade shows a series of ectoparasitic morphological characters such as tiny wingless body, head with strong chewing mouthparts, robust and short antennae having long setae, legs with only one single tarsal claw associated with two additional long setae, etc," the researchers wrote in the study's abstract.

From Fox News

It belonged to a member of Homo habilis family and includes the the left tarsal and metatarsal bones — the tarsals are a series of bones that comprise the plane of the foot leading to the toes — but no actual toes.

From Scientific American

Tears are now known to have layers: an outer fatty layer produced by the meibomian, or tarsal, glands at the rim of the eyelids; a middle watery layer from the lacrimal gland in the upper outer corner of each eye; and an inner protein-rich lubricating layer of mucin from the goblet cells of the conjunctiva that covers the whites of the eyes and lines the eyelids.

From New York Times

He had “marked flexure of the carpal and tarsal joints of all four limbs”—that is, hooked legs.

From The New Yorker