Skeletal System Vocab

Question 1

Axial Skeleton

Answer 1

the part of the skeleton that consists of the bones of the head and trunk of a vertebrate.

Question 2

Appendicular Skeleton

Answer 2

formed by the pectoral girdles, the upper limbs, the pelvic girdle, and the lower limbs.

Question 3

Compact Bone

Answer 3

facilitates bone’s main functions: to support the whole body, protect organs, provide levers for movement, and store and release chemical elements, mainly calcium.

Question 4

Spongy Bone

Answer 4

bone with interstices filled with embryonic connective tissue or bone marrow

Question 5

Large Bones

Answer 5

hard, dense bones that provide strength, structure, and mobility. The femur (thigh bone) is a long bone

Question 6

Short Bones

Answer 6

short bones are designated as those bones that are as wide as they are long. Their primary function is to provide support and stability with little to no movement.

Question 7

Flat Bones

Answer 7

bones whose principal function is either extensive protection or the provision of broad surfaces for muscular attachment.

Question 8

Irregular Bones

Answer 8

from their peculiar form, cannot be grouped as long bone, short bone, flat bone or sesamoid bone.

Question 9

Diaphysis

Answer 9

the shaft or central part of a long bone.

Question 10

Periosteum

Answer 10

a dense layer of vascular connective tissue enveloping the bones except at the surfaces of the joints.

Question 11

Epiphyseal Line

Answer 11

the rounded end of a long bone, at its joint with adjacent bones.

Question 12

Comminuted Fracture

Answer 12

a break or splinter of the bone into more than two fragments.

Question 13

Compression Fracture

Answer 13

occurs when the bone collapses, particularly in short bones such as the vertebrae in the spine.

Question 14

Depressed Frature

Answer 14

a break in continuity of bone; it may be caused by trauma, twisting due to muscle spasm or indirect loss of leverage, or by disease.

Question 15

Impacted Fracture

Answer 15

is one whose ends are driven into each other. This is commonly seen in arm fractures in children.

Question 16

Spiral Fracture

Answer 16

a bone fracture occurring when torque (a rotating force) is applied along the axis of a bone.

Question 17

Greenstick Fracture

Answer 17

a fracture of the bone, occurring typically in children, in which one side of the bone is broken and the other only bent.

Question 18

Hematoma

Answer 18

solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues.

Question 19

Cranium

Answer 19

the skull, especially the part enclosing the brain.

Question 20

Occipital Bone

Answer 20

the bone that forms the back and base of the skull, and through which the spinal cord passes.

Question 21

Vertebral Column

Answer 21

spinal cord.

Question 22

Vertebrae

Answer 22

each of the series of small bones forming the backbone.

Question 23

Invertebral Discs

Answer 23

the layer of fibrocartilage between the bodies of adjoining vertebrae.

Question 24

Cervical Vertebrae

Answer 24

the top 7 vertebrae of the spine and form the neck, which supports the skull, or cranium

Question 25

Thoracic Vertebrae

Answer 25

each of the twelve bones of the backbone to which the ribs are attached.

Question 26

Lumbar Vertebrae

Answer 26

the five vertebrae between the rib cage and the pelvis.

Question 27

Sacrum

Answer 27

a triangular bone in the lower back formed from fused vertebrae and situated between the two hipbones of the pelvis.

Question 28

Coccyx

Answer 28

a small, triangular bone at the base of the spinal column in humans and some apes, formed of fused vestigial vertebrae.

Question 29

Sternum

Answer 29

the breastbone.

Question 30

Ribs

Answer 30

the bony frame formed by the ribs around the chest.

Question 31

Clavicle

Answer 31

technical term for collarbone.

Question 32

Scapulae

Answer 32

technical term for shoulder blade.

Question 33

Humerus

Answer 33

the bone of the upper arm or forelimb, forming joints at the shoulder and the elbow.

Question 34

Radius

Answer 34

the bone on the outer or thumb side of the forearm.

Question 35

Ulna

Answer 35

the thinner and longer of the two bones in the human forearm, on the side opposite to the thumb.

Question 36

Carpal Bones

Answer 36

eight bones arranged in two rows that articulate proximally with the radius and indirectly with the ulna

Question 37

Metacarpals

Answer 37

the five bones of the hand.

Question 38

Pelvic Girdle

Answer 38

the enclosing structure formed by the pelvis, providing attachment for the hind limbs or pelvic fins.

Question 39

Femur

Answer 39

the bone of the thigh or upper hind limb, articulating at the hip and the knee.

Question 40

Tibia

Answer 40

he inner and typically larger of the two bones between the knee and the ankle

Question 41

Fibula

Answer 41

the outer and usually smaller of the two bones between the knee and the ankle in humans

Question 42

Metatarsals

Answer 42

the bones of the foot