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also called enarthrosis. anatomy, zoology. 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.
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.
historical examples

igimang, ball-and-socket joint of harpoon and lance; from igip, he throws it off.
the central eskimo franz boas

supported on a tripod by means of a ball-and-socket joint and screw-tightening device.
early american scientific instruments and their makers silvio a. bedini

it is a bath that can be rocked, or inclined in any direction, for its center rests upon a ball-and-socket joint.
scientific american supplement, no. 315, january 14, 1882 various

fitted with a ball-and-socket joint for mounting on a tripod, and complete with wooden field case.
early american scientific instruments and their makers silvio a. bedini

in this case she adopted a ball-and-socket joint—the kind by which older astronomers mounted their telescopes.
a book of exposition homer heath nugent

the elevating and traversing gear was combined in one lever on a ball-and-socket joint.
four-day planet henry beam piper

the apparatus is mounted with a ball-and-socket joint upon a wooden stand, as shown in fig. 171.
torpedoes and torpedo warfare c. w. sleeman

a leveling head or ball-and-socket joint on the top of the tripod will be found of material aid in leveling the instrument.
the boy mechanic, book 2 various

noun
a coupling between two rods, tubes, etc, that consists of a spherical part fitting into a spherical socket, allowing free movement within a specific conical volume
(anatomy) also called multiaxial joint. a bony joint, such as the hip joint, in which a rounded head fits into a rounded cavity, allowing a wide range of movement

ball-and-socket joint n.
a multiaxial joint in which a sphere on the head of one bone fits into a rounded cavity in the other bone, as in the hip joint. also called cotyloid joint, enarthrodial joint, enarthrosis, spheroid joint.
ball-and-socket joint
(bôl’ən-sŏk’ĭt)

a joint, such as the shoulder or hip joint, in which a spherical kn-b or kn-blike part of one bone fits into a cavity or socket of another, so that some degree of rotary motion is possible in every direction.

a mechanical device consisting of a spherical kn-b at the end of a shaft that fits securely into a socket. ball-and-socket joints are used to connect parts of a machine that require rotary movement in nearly all directions. ball-and-socket joints allow the front wheels of a car to be turned by the steering mechanism.