Medical Names For Body Parts Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gingiva

Originating from Latin in the late 17th century, gingiva means "the gums", part of the soft tissue lining of the mouth that surround the teeth and provide a seal around them. Most people will have heard of the disease gingivitis, which has the same word stem, and means "inflammation of the gum tissue".

Answer: Scapula

Originating from the late 16th century, scapula is the singular of the Latin 'scapulae' meaning "shoulder blades". The shoulder blade is roughly triangular in shape and connects the upper arm bone (humerus) with the collar bone (clavicle).

Answer: Maxilla

Originating from Latin in the late 17th century, maxilla is the jaw or jawbone, specifically the upper jaw in most vertebrates. In humans the maxilla forms the boundaries of three cavities - the roof of the mouth, the floor and lateral wall of the nasal cavity, and the wall of the eye socket.

Answer: Calcaneus

The calcaneus is the largest tarsal bone, forming the prominence of the heel. The phrase "Achilles' heel" means a weakness or vulnerable point, and originates from the legend that Achilles' heel wasn't covered by water when his mother dipped him in the river Styx (to make him invulnerable), thereby it became his weak point.

Answer: Axilla

Originating from Latin, axilla is a diminutive of 'ala' meaning "wing", and in ornithology the word axilla is used to describe the corresponding region under the wing of a bird. Also known as the underarm or oxter, the armpit is a very ticklish area for many people, possibly due to the large number of nerves contained there.

Answer: Tibia

Originating from Latin, tibia literally means "reed pipe" and is the medical name for the shin bone. Along with the smaller and weaker fibula (calf bone), the tibia forms the lower leg in vertebrates, connecting the knee with the ankle bones.

Answer: Cranium

Originating from the Ancient Greek 'kranion, meaning "skull", the cranium is a bony structure that provides a protective cavity for the brain. Operations that require access to the brain are performed by way of a craniotomy, a delicate procedure where a disc of bone is temporarily removed from the skull, and then replaced after brain surgery has been performed.

Answer: Nares

Originating from Latin, nares is the plural of the Latin 'naris' meaning "nostril, nose". Nostrils are separated by the septum, which consists mainly of cartilage. Due to impact trauma, congenital disorder, or drug abuse, the septum may become deviated, which results in one nostril appearing to be larger than the other, or, in extreme cases, the nostrils are no longer separated and form one large opening to the nose.

Answer: Patella

In Eastern medicine, the word patella was used as early as the 13th century, deriving from the Hindi 'paṭēla haḍḍī' meaning "farmer's bone". In the Western world, the word patella originated from the late 17th century, based on the Latin word 'patina', meaning "shallow dish". Roughly triangular in shape, the patella protects the front surface of the knee joint and, along with the tibia (shin bone) and femur (thigh bone) is one of the three bones that make up the knee joint.

Answer: Mandible

Originating from the late 14th century, mandible comes from the Latin 'mandere' meaning "to chew" and '-bula', a suffix meaning "of means". The mandible is the largest and strongest bone in the face, and holds the lower teeth in place. The most common causes of mandibular fractures in humans are motor vehicle accidents and assault.