tarsus

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin tarsus.

noun

1. (anatomy, zootomy) The part between the main part of the hindlimb and the metatarsus in terrestrial vertebrates.
   1. (anatomy) A group of small bones in this part of the foot. The seven bones of the human tarsus form the ankle and upper part of the foot.
   2. (zootomy) The shank or tarsometatarsus of the leg of a bird or reptile.
      On the ledge, the guillemots shuffle awkwardly about on their tarsi, the long bone connecting the ‘ankle’ to the feet. 2020, Tim Ecott, The Land of Maybe, Short Books, published 2021, page 99
   3. (zootomy) The true foot or the fifth joint of the leg of an insect or other arthropod, typically consisting of several small segments and ending in a claw.
2. (anatomy) A plate of dense connective tissue found in each eyelid, attached to either the superior tarsal muscle (in the upper eyelid) or inferior tarsal muscle (lower eyelid), which aid with sympathetic control.