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met·a·car·pus

(mĕt′ə-kärpəs)

n. pl. met·a·car·pi (-pī)

1. The part of the human hand that includes the five bones between the fingers and the wrist.

2. The corresponding part of the forefoot of a quadruped.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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