Definition of Wing bone

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Wing bone: Popular and familiar term for the scapula, the flat triangular bone at the back of the shoulder.

The word "scapula" (with the accent on the first syllable) is a steal straight from the Latin. The Romans always employed the plural "scapulae", the shoulder blades. Because the shoulder blade resembles the blade of a trowel (a small shovel), the word "scapula" is thought to have come from the Greek "skaptein" meaning "to dig."

The wing bone (aka scapula) also is sometimes called the shoulder blade or the blade bone.