tarsus

 
Pronunciation: /ˈtɑːsəs/

noun (plural tarsi /-sʌɪ, -siː/)

Anatomy
  • 1a group of small bones between the main part of the hindlimb and the metatarsus in terrestrial vertebrates. The seven bones of the human tarsus form the ankle and upper part of the foot. They are the talus, calcaneus, navicular, and cuboid, and the three cuneiform bones.
  • Zoology the shank or tarsometatarsus of the leg of a bird or reptile.
  • Zoology the foot or fifth joint of the leg of an insect or other arthropod, typically consisting of several small segments and ending in a claw.
  • 2a thin sheet of fibrous connective tissue which supports the edge of each eyelid.

Origin:

late Middle English: modern Latin, from Greek tarsos 'flat of the foot, the eyelid'