furcula

American  

[fur-kyuh-luh] / ˈfɜr kyə lə /

noun

plural

furculae

1. the forked clavicular bone of a bird; wishbone.

2. the ventral, forked appendage on the abdomen of a springtail that the insect uses in springing itself into the air.

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furcula British  

/ ˈfɜːkjʊlə, ˈfɜːkjʊləm /

noun

1. any forklike part or organ, esp the fused clavicles (wishbone) of birds

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Other Word Forms

• furcular adjective

Etymology

Origin of furcula

1855–60; < Latin: a forked prop. See fork, -ule

Example Sentences

The furcula is flexible enough to bend and provide support to the shoulder girdle during flapping.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

He was the paleontologist who discovered the furcula of a Tyrannosaurus rex.

From Newsweek

“The clavicle part is real. In birds, the fused clavicles form the furcula, or wishbone. And nowadays—in 2014—we know that dinosaurs had wishbones, too.”

From Newsweek

We thus clearly see that the sternum, scapul�, and furcula are all reduced in proportional length; but when we turn to the wings we find what at first appears a wholly different and unexpected result.

From The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I. by Darwin, Charles

In a barb, which in all its measurements was a little larger than the same rock-pigeon, the furcula was a quarter of an inch shorter.

From The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I. by Darwin, Charles