patella

See also: Patella and patel·la

English

A diagram of a front view of the knee, showing the patella at centre

Etymology 1

From Latin patella (“a small pan or dish, a plate; the kneepan, patella”), diminutive of patina (“a broad shallow dish, pan”). Doublet of paella.

Pronunciation

• (US) enPR: pətĕl'ə, IPA^(key): /pəˈtɛlə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

patella (plural patellas or patellae)

1. (anatomy) The sesamoid bone of the knee; the kneecap.
   • 2004, Ann Seranne, The Joy of Breeding Your Own Show Dog, page 188:

     Subluxed patellas, more commonly referred to as slipped stifles, like all inherited factors will continue to cripple a breed as long as breeders continue to mate affected animals.

   • 2005, Roger E. Stevenson, 20: Limbs, Roger E. Stevenson, Judith G. Hall, Human Malformations and Related Anomalies, page 920,

     Since patella diameter is a feature of continuous variation, the majority of small patellas represent simply the lower extreme of normal anatomic variation.

   • 2006, Erik Trinkaus, “18: The Lower Limb Remains”, in Erik Trinkaus, Jiří Svoboda, editors, Early Modern Human Evolution in Central Europe, page 395:

     Both patellae are well preserved for Dolni Věstonice 3 and 13-15, and the left patella remains for Dolni Věstonice 16 (Figures 18.22 to 18.26).

   • 2009, P. Tohomson, “14: Assessment of the paediatric patient”, in Ben Yates, editor, Merriman's Assessment of the Lower Limb, page 401:

     The patellae may be up to 30° externally rotated at birth. In young children it is considered normal for the patellae to be externally rotated, but by 5 years of age the patellae should face forwards.

2. A little dish or vase.

Synonyms

• (kneecap): kneecap, kneepan, rotula

Derived terms

• nail-patella syndrome
• patella femoral pain syndrome
• patellar
• patellar reflex
• patellate

 

Related terms

• chondromalacia patellae
• nail-patella syndrome
• patella femoral pain syndrome
• patellar
• patellar reflex
• patellate

 

Translations

kneecap — see kneecap

Further reading

• “patella”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “patella”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “patella”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Etymology 2

Noun

patella (plural patellas)

1. Alternative form of putelee (“type of boat”)

Italian

Etymology

From Latin patella.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paˈtɛl.la/
• Rhymes: -ɛlla
• Hyphenation: pa‧tèl‧la

Noun

patella f (plural patelle)

1. (anatomy) patella, kneecap, rotula
2. (mollusk) limpet

Derived terms

• patellare

Latin

Etymology

From patina (“a broad shallow dish, pan”) or patera (“broad flat dish”) +‎ -la (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /paˈtel.la/, [päˈt̪ɛlːʲä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /paˈtel.la/, [päˈt̪ɛlːä]

Noun

patella f (genitive patellae); first declension

1. a small or shallow pan or dish
2. the kneecap, patella
3. a disease of the olive tree

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	patella	patellae
genitive	patellae	patellārum
dative	patellae	patellīs
accusative	patellam	patellās
ablative	patellā	patellīs
vocative	patella	patellae

Derived terms

• patellula (New Latin)

Descendants

• Dalmatian:
  • padella
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: padella
  • Sicilian: pateḍḍa, padeḍḍa
• Padanian:
  • Emilian: padèla
  • Friulian: padiele
  • Ligurian: poêla, paêla, paila
  • Lombard: padèla
  • Piedmontese: pèila, paila, pèla, pajela
  • Romansch: pateala, patela, patella
  • Romagnol: padèla
  • Venetan: paeła
• Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • Franco-Provençal: péla, péila, paira
  • Old French: paelle, païelle
    • Middle French: païelle, poeille, poile, paele, poesle etc.
      • French: poêle
        • → South Slavey: libé
        • → Spanish: puela
      • Norman: paêle, pêle
• Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: paella, padella, paiella, pella
    • → Spanish: paella
      • → English: paella
  • Occitan:

    Auvergnat: padela

    Gascon: padèra, padèira

    Languedocien: padèla

    Limousin: paela, padela, pela, piela

    Vivaro-Alpine: peila, pela, paela, padela

• Ibero-Romance:
  • → Galician: patela
  • → Portuguese: patela
  • Portuguese: padela
  • Old Leonese: padiella*
    • Asturian: padiella, payella
    • Leonese: paila
    • Mirandese: padielha
  • Spanish: padilla, paila
• Borrowings:
  • → English: patella
  • → French: patelle
  • → Ancient Greek: πάτελλα (pátella)
  • → Polish: patelnia
  • → Welsh: padell

• → Translingual: Patella

References

• “patella”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “patella”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• patella in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• patella in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “patella”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “patella”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
• “patella”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin