Metacarpal bones Greek form μετακάρπιος. "Metacarpalis", as in "ossa metacarpalia" in the current official Latin nomenclature, "Terminologia Anatomica" is a compound consisting of Latin and Greek parts. The usage of such hybrids in anatomic Latin is disapproved by some. Metacarpal bones In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus, form the intermediate part of the skeletal hand located between the phalanges of the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist which forms the connection to the forearm. The metacarpal bones are equivalent to the metatarsal bones in the foot. The metacarpals form a transverse arch to which the rigid row of
Hamate bone of the hand. The ossification of the hamate starts between 1 and 12 months. The hamate does not fully ossify until about the 15th year of life. The bone is also found in many other mammals, and is homologous with the "fourth distal carpal" of reptiles and amphibians. The carpal bones function as a unit to provide a bony superstructure for the hand. The hamate bone is the bone most commonly fractured when a golfer hits the ground hard with a golf club on the downswing or a hockey player hits the ice with a slap shot. The fracture is