Fibula

//ˈfɪb.jʊl.ə// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An ancient kind of brooch used to hold clothing together, similar in function to the modern safety pin.

    "Most of the fibulae have a triangular molding above the notch, which probably contained wound wire. The crossbar is decorated either with a flat knob or with a Persian merlon."

  2. 2
    the outer and thinner of the two bones of the human leg between the knee and ankle wordnet
  3. 3
    The smaller of the two bones in the lower leg.

Synonyms

All synonyms
calf bonebonebuttoncalf bonefastenergirth

Example

More examples

"I dislocated my ankle, and I also broke my tibia and fibula bones."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fībula (“buckle, clasp, pin”). The bone is so named because the shape it makes with the tibia resembles a clasp, the fibula being the pin.

Related phrases

femur fibula ulna syndromecalf bonesafety pin

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.