BALL-AND-SOCKET JOINT Definition & Meaning

ball-and-socket joint

[bawl-uhn-sok-it joint]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Also called enarthrosis.��Anatomy, Zoology.��a joint in which the rounded end of one bone fits into a cuplike end of the other bone, allowing for relatively free rotary motion, as at the hip or shoulder.
Also called ball joint.��a similar joint between rods, links, pipes, etc., consisting of a ball-like termination on one part held within a concave, spherical socket on the other.

ball-and-socket joint

noun

a coupling between two rods, tubes, etc, that consists of a spherical part fitting into a spherical socket, allowing free movement within a specific conical volume
Also called: multiaxial joint.��anatomy a bony joint, such as the hip joint, in which a rounded head fits into a rounded cavity, allowing a wide range of movement

ball-and-socket joint

A joint, such as the shoulder or hip joint, in which a spherical knob or knoblike part of one bone fits into a cavity or socket of another, so that some degree of rotary motion is possible in every direction.
A mechanical device consisting of a spherical knob at the end of a shaft that fits securely into a socket. Ball-and-socket joints are used to connect parts of a machine that require rotary movement in nearly all directions. Ball-and-socket joints allow the front wheels of a car to be turned by the steering mechanism.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of ball-and-socket joint¹

First recorded in 1660–70

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Those fingers come with a long, skeletal middle digit equipped with a ball-and-socket joint for horrifying dexterity, like the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come beckoning Ebenezer Scrooge to gaze upon his own sordid death.

From

The ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder is secured by the four muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff, which can become irritated, torn or overstretched.

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Dr. Günther compares it to a ball-and-socket joint, except there is no socket.

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The second shot went through Andrew’s hip and into his ball-and-socket joint, then into his lower abdomen before landing in his right hip, she continued.

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Traditionally, the damaged ball-and-socket joint is removed surgically and replaced by one made artificially.

From

ball and ring Ballantyne

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