Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The inner and larger of the two bones of the lower human leg, extending from the knee to the ankle.
  • noun A corresponding bone in other vertebrates.
  • noun The fourth division of an insect's leg, between the femur and the tarsus.
  • noun Music An ancient flute.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In organ-building, a stop of the open diapason species, with pipes of an exceptionally broad scale, giving a full, powerful tone. Different varieties are known by specific names, as tibia plena, tibia profonda, etc.
  • noun In anatomy and zoology, the inner and usually the larger of the two bones of the crus, or lower leg, extending from the knee to the ankle; the shin-bone of man.
  • noun In ornithology, the tibiotarsus. In some birds, as the loon, the tibia develops an immense apophysis which projects far above the knee-joint. See also cuts under Dromæus and tibiotarsus.
  • noun That segment of the hind limb which extends from the knee to the ankle; the part of the leg corresponding to the extent of the tibia; the crus; the drumstick of a fowl: used especially in ornithology.
  • noun In entomology, the fourth and penultimate joint of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus.
  • noun An ancient variety of flageolet, or direct flute, single or double. See flute, 1 .

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Anat.) The inner, or preaxial, and usually the larger, of the two bones of the leg or hind limb below the knee.
  • noun (Zoöl.) The fourth joint of the leg of an insect. See Illust. under Coleoptera, and under Hexapoda.
  • noun (Antiq.) A musical instrument of the flute kind, originally made of the leg bone of an animal.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun anatomy The inner and usually the larger of the two bones of the leg or hind limb below the knee.
  • noun zoology A segment of an insect's leg.
  • noun A musical instrument of the flute kind, originally made of the leg bone of an animal.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the inner and thicker of the two bones of the human leg between the knee and ankle

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin tībia, pipe, shinbone.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin

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Examples

  • THE TIBIA belongs to the class of long bones and the fibula is quite rudimentary, being represented by a stylet-shaped bone that lies posterior to, and along the outer border of the tibia.

    Common Diseases of Farm Animals R. A. Craig

  • "The tibia is not a weight bearing bone, is it?" asked one scout, whose team should be picking in the middle of the first round.

    USA TODAY Latest news 1999

  • "The tibia is not a weight bearing bone, is it?" asked one scout, whose team should be picking in the middle of the first round.

    USA TODAY Latest news 1999

  • The tibia is shorter, too, than the tibia of the hind leg.

    The Insect Folk Margaret Warner Morley 1890

  • In the worst case, the fascia is under such stress that it actually separates from the tibia, which is very painful and can involve a rather slow healing process.

    ChiRunning Danny Dreyer 2009

  • Of the bones of the leg, the inner one, called the tibia, is the more troublesome to manage, and requires the greater extension; and if the broken bones are not properly arranged, it is impossible to conceal the distortion, for the bone is exposed and wholly uncovered with flesh; and it is much longer before patients can walk on the leg when this bone is broken.

    On Fractures 2007

  • The tibia is the larger of the two bones of the lower leg and is the weight-bearing bone of the shin.

    Emergency Room Errors 2007

  • This important segment of the limb is composed of two bones, the larger of which is called the tibia, the smaller the fibula.

    Our Bird Comrades 1896

  • Yes, Mollie, there is a bone in your leg called the tibia, and you have

    The Insect Folk Margaret Warner Morley 1890

  • In the young bird, however, the pulley-shaped apparent end of the tibia is a distinct bone, which represents the bones marked _As.,

    Lectures on Evolution Thomas Henry Huxley 1860

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