A condyle (;Entry "condyle"
in
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
'. , from ; κόνδυλος knuckle) is the round prominence at the end of a

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

, most often part of a joint – an articulation with another bone. It is one of the markings or features of bones, and can refer to: * On the

femur The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The Femo ...

, in the

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

joint: ** Medial condyle ** Lateral condyle * On the

tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...

, in the

joint: ** Medial condyle ** Lateral condyle * On the

humerus The humerus (; : humeri) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius (bone), radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extrem ...

, in the

elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...

joint: ** Condyle of humerus ''(Condylus humeri)'' * On the

mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

, in the

temporomandibular joint In anatomy, the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) are the two joints connecting the jawbone to the skull. It is a bilateral Synovial joint, synovial articulation between the temporal bone of the skull above and the condylar process of mandible be ...

: **

Mandibular condyle The condyloid process or condylar process is the process on the human and other mammalian species' mandibles that ends in a condyle, the mandibular condyle. It is thicker than the coronoid process of the mandible and consists of two portions: the ...

* On the

occipital bone The occipital bone () is a neurocranium, cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone lies over the occipital lob ...

, in the

atlanto-occipital joint The atlanto-occipital joint (''Articulatio atlantooccipitalis'') is an articulation between the atlas bone and the occipital bone. It consists of a pair of condyloid joints. It is a synovial joint. Structure The atlanto-occipital joint is an ...

: **

Occipital condyles The occipital condyles are undersurface protuberances of the occipital bone in vertebrates, which function in articulation with the superior facets of the Atlas (anatomy), atlas vertebra. The condyles are oval or reniform (kidney-shaped) in shape ...

Although not generally termed condyles, the

trochlea {{wiktionary Trochlea (Latin for pulley) is a term in anatomy. It refers to a grooved structure reminiscent of a pulley's wheel. Related to joints Most commonly, trochleae bear the articular surface of saddle and other joints: * Trochlea of humeru ...

and

capitulum of the humerus In human anatomy of the arm, the capitulum of the humerus is a smooth, rounded eminence on the lateral portion of the distal articular surface of the humerus. It articulates with the cup-shaped depression on the head of the radius, and is limi ...

act as condyles in the

, and the

femur head The femoral head (femur head or head of the femur) is the highest part of the thigh bone (femur). It is supported by the femoral neck. Structure The head is globular and forms rather more than a hemisphere, is directed upward, medialward, and a ...

acts as a condyle in the

hip In vertebrate anatomy, the hip, or coxaLatin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) (: ''coxae'') in medical terminology, refers to either an anatomical region or a joint on t ...

joint. ''Condyle'' may also be used to describe an intrusion of the endocarp into the seed cavity of flowering plants like Abuta.

References

* Skeletal system {{musculoskeletal-stub