1670s, "clasp, buckle, brooch;" 1706 as "smaller bone in the lower leg," from Latin fibula "clasp, brooch," related to figere "to fasten, fix" (see fix (v.)).
Used in reference to the outer leg bone as a loan-translation of Greek perone "small bone in the lower leg," originally "clasp, brooch; anything pointed for piercing or pinning;" the bone was so called because it resembles a clasp like a modern safety pin.
fibula fib·u·la (fĭb'yə-lə)
n. pl. fib·u·las or fib·u·lae (-lē')
The outer, narrower, and smaller of the two bones of the human lower leg, extending from the knee to the ankle, and articulating with the tibia above and the tibia and talus below. Also called calf bone.
| fibula (fĭb'yə-lə) Plural fibulae (fĭb'yə-lē') or fibulas The smaller of the two bones of the lower leg or lower portion of the hind leg. See more at skeleton. |
outer of two bones of the lower leg or hind limb, probably so named because the inner bone, the tibia, and the fibula together resemble an ancient brooch, or pin. In humans the head of the fibula is joined to the head of the tibia by ligaments and does not form part of the knee. The base of the fibula forms the outer projection (malleolus) of the ankle and is joined to the tibia and to one of the ankle bones, the talus. The tibia and fibula are further joined throughout their length by an interosseous membrane between the bones. The fibula is slim and roughly four-sided; its shape varies with the strength of the attached muscles. In many mammals, such as the horse and the rabbit, the fibula is fused for part of its length with the tibia