Bone Markings

Tuberosity

• Large rounded projection; may be roughened.

• Muscle and ligament attachment.

Crest

• Narrow ridge of bone; usually prominent.

• Muscle and ligament attachment.

Trochanter

• Very large, blunt, irregularly shaped process (the only examples are on the femur).

• Muscle and ligament attachment.

Line

• Narrow ridge of bone; less prominent than a crest.

• Muscle and ligament attachment.

Tubercle

• Small rounded projection or process.

• Muscle and ligament attachment.

Epicondyle

• Raised area on or above a condyle.

• Muscle and ligament attachment.

Spine

• Sharp, slender, often pointed projection.

• Muscle and ligament attachment.

Process

• Bony prominence.

• Muscle and ligament attachment.

Head

• Bony expansion carried on a narrow neck.

• Help form joints.

Facet

• Smooth, nearly flat articular surface.

• Help form joints.

Condyle

• Rounded articular projection.

• Help form joints.

Ramus

• Armlike bar of bone.

• Help form joints.

Fissure

• Narrow, slitlike opening.

• Passage of vessels and nerves.

Foramen

• Round or oval opening through a bone.

• Passage of vessels and nerves.

Notch

• Indentation at the edge of a structure.

• Passage of vessels and nerves.

Meatus

• Canal-like passageway.

Sinus

• Bone cavity, filled with air and lined with mucus membrane.

Fossa

• Shallow basinlike depression in a bone, often serving as an articular surface.