1. The thigh bone of terrestrial vertebrates. It articulates at one end with the pelvic girdle at the hip joint and at the other (via two condyles) with the tibia.
2. The third segment of an insect’s leg, attached to the trochanter. See alsocoxa.
Geology and Earth Sciences
1. In tetrapods, the upper bone of the hind limb.
2. In Insecta, the third and usually the largest and most robust segment in the leg.