phalange

noun

pha·​lange ˈfā-ˌlanj How to pronounce phalange (audio)
fə-ˈlanj, 
fā-ˈlanj How to pronounce phalange (audio)
: phalanx sense 2

Examples of phalange in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The boxcar in front of him might have a phalange that's worn down, so much that the wheels are catching. — Jenna Ross, Star Tribune, 23 Mar. 2021 Multiple healed scars of the face, chin and volar surface distal phalanges of the fingers of both hands. — Dawn Mitchell, Indianapolis Star, 2 Aug. 2019 Jenner wore two glimmering toe rings around the phalanges on her right foot and one on her left foot’s middle digit. — Vogue, 14 June 2019 The future likely doesn’t look like an AI device on every phalange. — Brian Cheung, NBC news, 16 Mar. 2026 The dinosaur has also hung on to 65 percent of its original phalange, ulna, humeri and shoulder girdle. — Dana Givens, Robb Report, 5 Dec. 2022 In fact, you MTP joint could even be dislocated, meaning that the phalange has actually slipped out of the joint. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025 During the dead of winter, your mitts can crack and hurt, but some sources of phalange anguish happen year-round, like dishwashing with harsh detergents and frequent temperature variation. — Popular Science, 18 June 2020 The putative digit bones in Panderichthys are irregular in shape, and none of them show articulation with other bones in the standard way digit bones, or phalanges, do in the human hand. — John A. Long, Scientific American, 20 May 2020

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, borrowed from Greek phalang-, phálanx — more at phalanx

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of phalange was in 1688

Rhymes for phalange

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Browse Nearby Words

phalaenopsis
phalange
phalangeal
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Cite this Entry

“Phalange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phalange. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on phalange

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about phalange

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