furcula

[ fur-kyuh-luh ]

/ ˈfɜr kyə lə /

the forked clavicular bone of a bird; wishbone.

the ventral, forked appendage on the abdomen of a springtail that the insect uses in springing itself into the air.

Origin of furcula

1855–60; < Latin: a forked prop. See fork, -ule

fur·cu·lar, adjective

furculum

[ fur-kyuh-luh m ]

/ ˈfɜr kyə ləm /

furcula.

From New Latin

The extremities of the furcula, where articulated to the coracoids, vary considerably in outline.

The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I. |Charles Darwin
Mucrones: in Collembola the two small end pieces of the furcula, proceeding from the dentes.

Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology |John. B. Smith
Anatomically, this genus is remarkable in the parrot tribe for having no furcula, or merry-thought bone.

The Queer, the Quaint and the Quizzical |Frank H. Stauffer
The furcula is large, and the scapula has a well developed acromion.

The Vertebrate Skeleton |Sidney H. Reynolds

The coracoids are large, and the clavicles are nearly always united forming the furcula.

The Vertebrate Skeleton |Sidney H. Reynolds

furcula

/ (ˈfɜːkjʊlə) /

any forklike part or organ, esp the fused clavicles (wishbone) of birds

C19: from Latin: a forked support for a wall, diminutive of furca fork