Glossary
A
- appendicular skeleton
- - The bones that allow movement - hands, arms, feet, legs, shoulder and pelvic girdle
- axial skeleton
- - The bones in the center of our bodies - ribs, sternum, skill, spine - that protect our internal organs and keep us upright
B
- ball and socket joint
- - A joint that allows wide range of movement, such as at the shoulder and hip
- bone marrow
- - the jelly-like substance inside the bones where red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are made
C
- calcium
- - a basic element found in plants and animals
- cancellous bone
- - the spongy layer of bone between the compact bone and the bone marrow
- cartilage
- - a strong fibrous material connecting joints
- compact bone
- - The layer of the bone just below the surface, containing the smooth, hard part that you see when you look at a skeleton
E
- elastic
- - stretchy
- exoskeleton
- - a strong external covering on some animals
F
- feature
- - characteristic or property
- fibrous
- - containing fibers
H
- hinge joint
- - A joint that allows one-way movement, as in the elbow and knee
I
- invertebrates
- - animals that have no backbone
J
- joint
- - the location where two bones meet
L
- ligaments
- - bands that join one bone to another at a joint
M
- marrow
- - center of bone material; creates blood and platelets
- minerals
- - inorganic natural matter
P
- periosteum
- - The thin, outer surface of a bone, containing nerves and blood vessels
- protect
- - keep safe
S
- series
- - a group of things in a particular order
- skeletal system
- - the bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage make up the skeletal system
- spine
- - backbone
- support
- - keep strong or in place
T
- tendons
- - a fibrous tissue that attaches bones to muscles
- tissues
- - groups of cells of the same type in living organisms
V
- vertebrae
- - 33 ring-shaped bones that make up the backbone
- vertebrates
- - animals that have a backbone
