Relating to the carpus or wrist bones. Describing the eight small bones that form the wrist joint between the forearm and hand.
From New Latin carpalis, from Greek karpos meaning 'wrist' or 'fruit'. The anatomical term was adopted because the clustered wrist bones were thought to resemble a bunch of fruit. First used in English medical texts in the early 19th century.
The connection between 'carpal' (wrist) and 'carpel' (part of a flower) isn't coincidental - both come from the same Greek root meaning 'fruit' because early anatomists thought the wrist bones looked like clustered fruits, while botanists saw flower parts the same way.
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