Terminology in Osteology
Lots of technical words are used in veterinary Osteology that are known as Terminology of Osteology.
The surface of the bones presents a number of features in the form of prominences, depressions, perforations etc. These may be articular (forming joints with corresponding articular areas of another bone) or non-articular furnishing attachment to muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Terminology in Osteology
| Bone feature | Definition |
| Process | A general term for prominence. |
| Tubercle | A small blunt projection which, if more developed is called a tuberosity while a trochanter is the largest of these. |
| Spine | A pointed proection. |
| Crest | A sharp ridge. |
| Head | A rounded articular enlargement at the end of a bone; it may be joined to the shaft by the neck. |
| Condyle | A somewhat cylindrical articular eminence while an epicondyle is the non-articular projection in connection with it. |
| Protuberance, prominence, eminence, torus | A varieties of bony projections. |
| Trochlea | A pulley -lie articular area. |
| Glenoid cavity | A shallow cup-like articular depression |
| Cotyloid cavity | A deep cup like articular depression. |
| Line | A faint elongated elevation whereas a crest is an elongated elevation. |
| Facet | A flat articular surface. |
| Foramen | A perforation for the transmission of vessels, nerves etc. |
| Sinus | An air cavity within the bone lined by mucous membrane and communicates with the exterior. |
| Hiatus | A depression leading to two or more foramina. The terms fossa, fovea and sulcus denote various forms of depressions. |
| Cleft | A fissure in a bone. |
| Lamina | A thin plate of a bone. |
| Cornu or hamulus | A curved horn like process. |
| Canal | A bony tunnel (foramen of some length). |
| Meatus | A narrow passage. |
| Articular process | A projection that contacts an adjacent bone. |
| Articulation | The region where adjacent bones contact each other—a joint. |
| Canal | A long, tunnel-like foramen, usually a passage for notable nerves or blood vessels. |
| Eminence | A relatively small projection or bump. |
| Suture | Articulation between cranial bones. |
| Labyrinth | A cavity within a bone. |
| Malleolus | One of two specific protuberances of bones in the ankle. |
| Mamus | An arm-like branch off the body of a bone. |
| Angle | Corner of bone found between two borders |
| Articulation | A joint or union between two bones |
| Body (corpus) | The largest/pricipal part of a bone |
| Border | The edge of bone usually applied to flat bone |
| Condyloid cavity/Acetabulum | A deeper articular depression |
| Epicondyle | A non-articular projection in connection with or adjacent to condyle |
| Fissure | A narrow cleft in a bone |
| Fontanel | Unossified region between skull bone |
| Fossa | A concavity or depression, literally a ditch |
| Fovea | An articular surface in the form of a very small pit/depression |
| Groove | An elongated concavity between parallel ridges. |
| Incisura | A notch like depression |
| Linea | Narrow crest/ridge/line i.e. A very small line |
| Manubrium | A flat handle like projection |
| Notch | A deep or large indentation usually for articulation |
| Plexuses | It is a network or tangle of nerves. |
| Ridge | A narrow rounded elevation on the surface |
| Squama | The flat portion of the cranial bone |
| Styloid | Literally a pencil shaped pointed process |
| Symphysis | A union in which two similar bones are firmly connected by cartilage |
| Trochanter | A very large non-articular prominence. |
| Tuberosity | A large rounded uneven projection |
Terminology in osteology for long bones
| Long Bone feature | Definition |
| Diaphysis | The long, relatively straight main body of a long bone; region of primary ossification. Also known as the shaft. |
| Epiphysis | The end regions of a long bone; regions of secondary ossification |
| Epiphyseal plate | Also known as the growth plate or physis. In a long bone it is a thin disc of hyaline cartilage that is positioned transversely between the epiphysis and metaphysis. In the long bones of humans, the epiphyseal plate disappears by twenty years of age. |
| Head | The proximal articular end of the bone. |
| metaphysis | The region of a long bone lying between the epiphysis and diaphysis. |
| Neck | The region of bone between the head and the shaft. |
