Leg, lower


the part below the knee.

The lower leg contains two long bones. The larger of these two bones is the tibia, the smaller one the fibula.

The tibia is familiarly known as 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.

Read Also:

  • Leg, upper

    More properly called the thigh, the upper leg is the area between the knee and the hip. It has only one bone, the femur, which spans the distance from the hip to the knee.

  • Legal blindness

    Visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better eye with corrective lenses (20/200 means that a person at 20 feet from an eye chart can see what a person with normal vision can see at 200 feet); or Visual field restriction to 20 degrees diameter or less (tunnel vision) in the better eye. Note […]

  • Legal medicine

    The branch of medicine that deals with the application of medical knowledge to legal problems and legal proceedings. Legal medicine is also called forensic medicine. A physician may be engaged in legal (or forensic) medicine while a lawyer with identical interests is said to be in medical jurisprudence. It just depends upon the direction you […]

  • Medical jurisprudence

    The branch of the law that deals with the application of law to medicine or, conversely, the application of medical science to legal problems. Medical jurisprudence may be involved in cases concerning genetic relationships (eg, paternity testing) or injury or death resulting from violence. An autopsy may be done to help determine the agent of […]

  • Legg disease

    See Legg-Calve-Perthes disease.


Disclaimer: Leg, lower definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.