Definition of "metacarpal" [met•a•car•pal]

• Relating to the metacarpus. (adjective)
• Any of the bones of the metacarpus. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "That's actually in my hand, it's called the metacarpal bone."
• "'metacarpal' bones, and they carry the 'phalanges', or bones of the digits, of which there are two in the thumb, and three in each of the fingers."
• "We discovered that this raven's metacarpal bones, which are comparable to the bones in our own hands, had been smashed and had a giant hole in them -- possibly a gun shot -- but it was an old, completely healed injury."