patella

From Latin patella (“a small pan or dish, a plate; the kneepan, patella”), diminutive of patina (“a broad shallow dish, pan”). Doublet of paella.

• (US) enPR: pətĕl'ə, IPA^(key): /pəˈtɛlə/

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patella (plural patellas or patellae)

1. (anatomy) The sesamoid bone of the knee; the kneecap.
   • 2004, Ann Seranne, The Joy of Breeding Your Own Show Dog, page 188:

     Subluxed patellas, more commonly referred to as slipped stifles, like all inherited factors will continue to cripple a breed as long as breeders continue to mate affected animals.

   • 2005, Roger E. Stevenson, 20: Limbs, Roger E. Stevenson, Judith G. Hall, Human Malformations and Related Anomalies, page 920,

     Since patella diameter is a feature of continuous variation, the majority of small patellas represent simply the lower extreme of normal anatomic variation.

   • 2006, Erik Trinkaus, “18: The Lower Limb Remains”, in Erik Trinkaus, Jiří Svoboda, editors, Early Modern Human Evolution in Central Europe, page 395:

     Both patellae are well preserved for Dolni Věstonice 3 and 13-15, and the left patella remains for Dolni Věstonice 16 (Figures 18.22 to 18.26).

   • 2009, P. Tohomson, “14: Assessment of the paediatric patient”, in Ben Yates, editor, Merriman's Assessment of the Lower Limb, page 401:

     The patellae may be up to 30° externally rotated at birth. In young children it is considered normal for the patellae to be externally rotated, but by 5 years of age the patellae should face forwards.

2. A little dish or vase.

• (kneecap): kneecap, kneepan, rotula

• “patella”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “patella”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “patella”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

patella (plural patellas)

1. Alternative form of putelee (“type of boat”)

• IPA^(key): /paˈtɛl.la/
• Rhymes: -ɛlla
• Hyphenation: pa‧tèl‧la

patella f (plural patelle)

1. (anatomy) patella, kneecap, rotula
2. (mollusk) limpet

• patellare

From patina (“a broad shallow dish, pan”) or patera (“broad flat dish”) +‎ -la (diminutive suffix).

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /paˈtel.la/, [päˈt̪ɛlːʲä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /paˈtel.la/, [päˈt̪ɛlːä]

patella f (genitive patellae); first declension

1. a small or shallow pan or dish
2. the kneecap, patella
3. a disease of the olive tree

First-declension noun.

• patellula (New Latin)

• “patella”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “patella”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• patella in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• patella in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “patella”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “patella”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
• “patella”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin