What does condyle mean?
A condyle is a smooth, rounded prominence at the end of a bone where it meets another bone to form a joint. The word appears most often at the knee — the femur ends in medial and lateral condyles that glide against the tibia — but condyles also occur at the jaw, where each side of the mandible articulates with the skull, and at the base of the skull, where the occipital condyles meet the first vertebra. Because these surfaces bear weight and absorb motion, they are frequent sites of injury and degeneration; fractures and cartilage wear involving a condyle are staples of orthopaedic medicine. The term is technical, belonging to anatomy, surgery, and dentistry rather than everyday speech, yet it is useful precisely because it names a specific structure that general words like 'knob' or 'bump' cannot. Its related forms 'condylar' and 'condyloid' appear regularly in medical literature.
nounA rounded protuberance at the end of a bone that forms part of a joint and articulates with another bone. Condyles are found, for example, at the lower end of the femur and the upper end of the mandible.
- A rounded articular prominence at the end of a bone, forming part of a joint (anatomy).
"The surgeon noted erosion of the femoral condyle where cartilage had worn away."
"An MRI revealed a small fracture of the medial femoral condyle."
"In humans, the occipital condyles are the points where the skull rocks on the top of the spine."
Regular English plural; because bones typically have paired or multiple articular surfaces, the plural is common in anatomical writing.
"Both condyles of the tibia showed signs of early osteoarthritis."
Your jaw hinges on two tiny condyles — rounded knobs of bone that let you chew, speak, and yawn thousands of times a day.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of condyle
The word 'condyle' comes from the Greek 'kondylos', meaning 'knuckle' or 'round knob', a fitting image for the smooth bony prominences it describes. It entered English in the early 17th century via New Latin, as anatomists adopted Greek terminology for the parts of the skeleton. The same Greek root gives rise to the adjective 'condyloid' and the medical term 'condyloma'.
How condyle is actually used
Strictly a technical term used in anatomy, medicine, and dentistry; it is rarely encountered outside clinical or academic contexts. The adjective forms are 'condylar' and 'condyloid'.
Easily confused with condyle
Condole-related 'condolence' expresses sympathy for loss, while 'condyle' is the anatomical term for a rounded end of a bone; the words merely resemble each other in spelling.