Long Bone Anatomy and Types of Bones

foramen

round or oval opening through a bone (hole)

process

bony prominence (prominent projection on a bone)

ramus

armlike bar of bone (an extension of a bone making an angle with the rest of the structure)

meatus

canal-like passageway (tubelike passageway within a bone)

crest

narrow ridge of bone; usually prominent (prominent ridge)

trochanter

very large, blunt, irregularly shaped process (only on the femur) (large, rough projection)

epicondyle

raised area on or above a condyle (projection above a condyle)

tuberosity

large rounded projection; may be roughened

tubercle

small rounded projection or process (small rounded projection)

facet

smooth, nearly flat articular surface

fossa

shallow basinlike depression in a bone, often as an articular surface (shallow depression)

line

narrow ridge of bone; less prominent than a crest

spine

sharp, slender, often pointed projection

sinus

bone cavity, filled with air and lined with mucous membrane

notch

indentation at the edge of a structure

fissure

narrow, slitlike opening

condyle

rounded articular projection

head

bony expansion carried on a narrow neck

diaphysis

proximal epiphysis

distal epiphysis

epiphyseal line

medullary cavity

red marrow

yellow marrow

articular cartilage

endosteum

periosteum

Sharpey's fibers

metaphysis

Epiphyseal plate (disk)

A thin layer of cartilage within the metaphysis, separating it from the epiphysis, primary site of longitudinal bone growth during childhood and adolescence, for adults becomes the epiphyseal line, ending bone growth

long bone

type of bone

short bone

type of bone

flat bone

type of bone

irregular

type of bone

sesamoid

type of bone, embedded within a tendon

wormian (sutural)

type of bone

axial skeleton

skeleton that includes the head, vertebrae, ribs, and sternum

appendicular skeleton

skeleton that includes the appendages (arms, legs, hips, etc.)