What does fibulae mean?
Fibulae is the plural of fibula, a word with two well-established senses. In archaeology, a fibula is an ancient brooch or clasp — functionally similar to a modern safety pin — used to fasten cloaks, tunics, and other garments. Fibulae survive in large numbers from Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and other ancient cultures, and their varied designs make them valuable for dating sites and tracing trade and fashion across the classical world. In anatomy, the fibulae are the two slender bones of the lower leg that run parallel to the larger tibia on the outside of each limb, bearing relatively little weight but anchoring muscles and stabilising the ankle. The word derives from Latin fibula, meaning a clasp or buckle, a term adopted into English in the seventeenth century for both the artefact and, later by analogy, the bone. Whether describing a museum case of Roman metalwork or a radiologist's report, fibulae carries a precise, technical register.
Plural of fibula: an ancient brooch or clasp used to fasten garments, resembling a safety pin.
"The grave goods included two silver fibulae of distinctive Viking design."
This is the dominant sense in archaeological literature.
Plural of fibula: the outer and thinner of the two long bones of the human lower leg.
"The X-ray revealed hairline fractures in both fibulae."
Fibulae is itself a plural form (the standard plural of fibula), retaining the Latin -ae ending common in scholarly usage. The anglicised alternative 'fibulas' is acceptable but less frequent.
"Several ornate fibulae were displayed alongside the pottery in the Roman gallery."
The safety pin wasn't invented in the 1800s — the ancient Greeks and Romans had already patented the idea over two thousand years ago with the fibula.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fibulae
Fibulae comes from Latin fibula, meaning 'clasp' or 'buckle', which was the everyday Roman term for the pin used to hold garments closed. The word was borrowed into English in the early modern period — first attested around the early seventeenth century — as antiquarians began classifying the brooches recovered from classical sites. Anatomists later extended the name to the slender lower-leg bone, likening its shape and position alongside the tibia to a clasp pinned against a garment. The Latin root may ultimately relate to figere, 'to fix or fasten', the same root behind words such as 'fix' and 'transfix'.
Related word forms
How fibulae is actually used
Fibulae is the standard English plural; the Latin-style plural 'fibulas' also occurs but is less common in scholarly writing. In archaeological contexts the word almost always refers to the brooch sense, while 'fibula' in singular appears more frequently than the plural in anatomical writing.
Easily confused with fibulae
Fibulae are brooches or a lower-leg bone, while fibrillae are small fibres, as in heart muscle tissue.