carpale

C3A1R1P3A1L1E1

noun

A carpal, especially one of the series articulating with the metacarpals.

OriginNew Latin ōs carpāle ← Ancient Greek καρπός →
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Meanings

nouncarpale (plural carpalia)

plural carpalia

  1. anatomyA carpal, especially one of the series articulating with the metacarpals.

    This indicates that the pisiform is really a secondary component which became the carpale during phylogenesis.

    1973, Radomír Čihák, Ontogenesis of the skeleton and intrinsic muscles of the human hand and foot, page 36
    2 more examples

    […] this being the case the bone in question contains at any rate the centrale, and I see no reason why the carpale 2 should have quite disappeared.

    1891, The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, page 201

    The dorsal interossei are sometimes found to originate more proximal at the base of the metacarpals or even at the carpalia.

    2012, Jin Bo Tang, Peter C. Amadio, Jean Claude Guimberteau, Tendon Surgery of the Hand, page 10

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekκαρπός“wrist”
  2. New Latinōs carpāle
  3. Englishcarpale

From New Latin ōs carpāle, from Ancient Greek καρπός (karpós, “wrist”).

More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

carpale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carpale

MLA

“carpale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carpale. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “carpale,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carpale.

Source: carpale on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.