Dictionary

furcula en · NOUN

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin furcula.

Meanings

1. A forked process or structure, generally two-pronged.
2. The forked bone formed by the fusion of the clavicles in birds, the wishbone or merrythought.
3. The (two-pronged) forked, somewhat tail-like organ held bent forward and secured by a catch beneath most species of Collembola (springtails), with which they jump by releasing the catch abruptly when alarmed.
   • In essence, a furcula is a long, rigid stick, held underneath the body at high tension. When the springtail releases that pressure, the stick pushes down into the ground, or even the water's surface, like an upside-down medieval catapult, firing the springtail into the air in a semi-controlled manner. 2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherlands, Penguin, published 2023, page 215:

Forms

Translations (5)

es fúrcula (forked bone in birds — see also wishbone) · fr lunette (forked bone in birds — see also wishbone) · fi hankaluu (forked bone in birds — see also wishbone) · zh （鳥的）鎖骨 (forked bone in birds — see also wishbone) · zh （鸟的）锁骨 (forked bone in birds — see also wishbone)