ball-and-socket joint

ball-and-socket joint
/bawl"euhn sok"it/
1. Also called enarthrosis. Anat., Zool. a joint in which the rounded end of one bone fits into a cuplike end of the other bone, allowing for relatively free rotary motion, as at the hip or shoulder.
2. Also called ball joint. a similar joint between rods, links, pipes, etc., consisting of a ball-like termination on one part held within a concave, spherical socket on the other.
[1660-70]

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also called  spheroidal joint 

      in vertebrate anatomy, a joint in which the rounded surface of a bone moves within a depression on another bone, allowing greater freedom of movement than any other kind of joint. It is most highly developed in the large shoulder and hip joints of mammals, including humans, in which it provides swing for the arms and legs in various directions and also spin of those limbs upon the more stationary bones.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Ball and socket joint — Ball Ball (b[add]l), n. [OE. bal, balle; akin to OHG. balla, palla, G. ball, Icel. b[ o]llr, ball; cf. F. balle. Cf. 1st {Bale}, n., {Pallmall}.] 1. Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ball-and-socket joint — [bôl΄ən säk′it] n. a joint, as that of the hip or shoulder, formed by a ball in a socket, allowing limited movement in any direction …   English World dictionary

  • ball-and-socket joint — ► NOUN ▪ a joint in which a rounded end lies in a socket, allowing movement in all directions …   English terms dictionary

  • Ball and socket joint — Infobox Anatomy Name = PAGENAME Latin = articulatio spheroidea GraySubject = 70 GrayPage = 287 Caption = 1: Ball and socket joint; 2: Condyloid joint (Ellipsoid); 3: Saddle joint; 4 Hinge joint; 5: Pivot joint; Caption2 = Capsule of shoulder… …   Wikipedia

  • ball-and-socket joint — noun 1. a freely moving joint in which a sphere on the head of one bone fits into a rounded cavity in the other bone • Syn: ↑spheroid joint, ↑cotyloid joint, ↑enarthrodial joint, ↑enarthrosis, ↑articulatio spheroidea • Hypernyms: ↑synovial joint …   Useful english dictionary

  • Ball-and-socket joint — A ball and socket joint is one in which the round end of a bone fits into the cavity of another bone. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. * * * ball and socket joint n an articulation (as the hip joint) in which the rounded head of one bone …   Medical dictionary

  • ball-and-socket joint — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms ball and socket joint : singular ball and socket joint plural ball and socket joints medical a joint in your body where the end of a bone that is curved outwards meets the end of a bone that is curved inwards… …   English dictionary

  • ball-and-socket joint — rutulinis lankstas statusas T sritis automatika atitikmenys: angl. ball and socket joint vok. Kugelgelenk, n rus. шаровой шарнир, m pranc. joint à rotule, m …   Automatikos terminų žodynas

  • ball-and-socket joint — ball′ and sock′et joint n. 1) anat. Also called enarthrosis an anatomical joint in which the rounded end of one bone fits into a cuplike end of the other bone, as at the hip or shoulder. 2) anat. mac Also called ball joint a similar mechanical… …   From formal English to slang

  • ball-and-socket joint — noun Date: 1809 1. a joint in which a ball moves within a socket so as to allow rotary motion in every direction within certain limits 2. an articulation (as the hip joint) in which the rounded head of one bone fits into a cuplike cavity of the… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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