What is the name of the thigh bone?

What is the name of the thigh bone? The thigh bone is called the femur.

The femur is the only bone in the human thigh, running from the hip to the knee. Its rounded head fits into the acetabulum, the socket in the pelvis, forming the hip joint. At its lower end, the femur meets the tibia and works with the patella to form the knee.

In humans, the femur is the longest and one of the strongest bones in the body. Its shaft provides attachment points for major muscles that move the hip and knee; altogether, about 23 muscles originate from or attach to it. The bone's thick structure helps it withstand the forces generated by standing, walking, running, and jumping.

The most common mix-up is confusing the femur with the lower-leg bones. The tibia and fibula are below the knee, while the patella is the kneecap at the front of the knee. The word femur comes from Latin, where it also means thigh. Femur fractures can be serious, particularly near the hip or in older adults with osteoporosis.