MedTerms Medical Dictionary

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Leg: In popular usage, the leg extends from the top of the thigh down to the foot. However, in medical terminology, the leg refers to the portion of the lower extremity from the knee to the ankle.

The leg has two bones: the tibia and the fibula. Both are known as long bones. The larger of the two is the tibia, familiarly called the shinbone. "Tibia" is a Latin word meaning both shinbone and flute. It is thought that "tibia" refers to both the bone and the musical instrument because flutes were once fashioned from the tibia (of animals).

The fibula runs alongside the tibia. The word "fibula" is a Latin word that designates a clasp or brooch. The fibula was likened by the ancients to a clasp attaching it to the tibia to form a brooch.

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