MedTerms Medical Dictionary

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Feet: The plural of foot, both an anatomic structure and a unit of measure.

As an anatomic structure, the foot is the end of the leg on which a person normally stands and walks. The foot is a particularly complex structure made up of dozens of bones that work together with muscles and tendons to execute precise movements. The bones of the foot include the 10 metatarsal bones and the 28 phalanges (toe bones).

As a measure of length, a foot is 12 inches or a third of a yard or, metrically, 30.48 centimeters. The foot, along with the inch and the yard, are Old World creations to which the USA has stubbornly clung. The foot was originally the length of a man’s foot and served as a measurement of land. (Better to have had big feet when stepping off your land.)

The abbreviation for both foot and feet is ft.

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