tibia
tibia
UK[ˈtɪbɪə]US[ˈtɪbiə]
n
The inner and typically larger of the two bones between the knee and the ankle in humans and other vertebrates.
n
The fourth segment of the leg in insects, between the femur and the tarsus.
Etymology
The word 'tibia' was borrowed directly from Latin, where it referred to the shinbone but also to a type of flute, often made from an animal's leg bone. This Latin term is believed to be of uncertain, possibly pre-Latin, origin. The anatomical sense was established in Latin and passed directly into scientific and medical English. The connection between a bone and a wind instrument illustrates a common pattern of naming objects after the materials from which they were originally fashioned.
Analysis
The word 'tibia' is a simplex loanword from Latin. It does not contain separable morphemes in its modern English spelling.
Examples
He suffered a fracture to his tibia during the soccer match.
The surgeon inserted a metal rod to stabilize the broken tibia.
In grasshoppers, the tibia of the hind leg is greatly enlarged for jumping.