Tibia
/ˈtɪbiə/noun
The shinbone, the larger of the two bones in the lower leg; also a similar bone in other vertebrates.
Did you know?Latin tibia meant both “shinbone” and “pipe/flute,” because the bone was used to make musical instruments, so a body part and a ritual sound-maker shared one name.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheub-
“to bend, curve, or be hollow”
Latin
Latin
tibia
“shinbone; a pipe or flute made from a bone or reed”
Late Latin
Latin
tibia
“a pipe, flute, or leg bone”
Old French
Old French
tibie
“shinbone”
Middle English
English
tibie
“the shinbone”
Modern English
English
tibia
“the shinbone, especially in human anatomy”