greenstick fracture

American  

[green-stik] / ˈgrinˌstɪk /

noun

1. an incomplete fracture of a long bone, in which one side is broken and the other side is still intact.

---

greenstick fracture British  

/ ˈɡriːnˌstɪk /

noun

1. a fracture in children in which the bone is partly bent and splinters only on the convex side of the bend

---

Etymology

Origin of greenstick fracture

First recorded in 1880–85; green + stick ¹

Example Sentences

But he also observed more compressive fractures, as well as so-called greenstick fractures, in which a bone cracks only on one side, much like what happens when a living tree branch breaks.

From New York Times

Even if Kappelman could prove that Lucy had greenstick fractures, he wouldn't be able to prove they occurred before death.

From Washington Post

He could not or would not get his agile body close enough to the ground to risk a greenstick fracture of his wrist on the season-ending hit in Baltimore.

From New York Times

The reduction of a recent greenstick fracture consists in forcibly straightening the bend in the bone, and in some cases it is necessary to render the fracture complete before this can be accomplished.

From Project Gutenberg

The clavicle or humerus may sustain greenstick fracture from the child being lifted by the arms; the femur, by a fall.

From Project Gutenberg