trochanter

UK: /trəʊˈkæntə/ US: (trō kan′tər)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tro•chan•ter  (trō kan′tər), n. 

1. Anatomy either of two knobs at the top of the femur, the greater on the outside and the lesser on the inside, serving for the attachment of muscles between the thigh and pelvis.
2. Zoology any similar prominence on the femur in many other vertebrates.
3. Insects [Entomol.] (in an insect) the usually small second segment of the leg, between the coxa and femur. See diag. under coxa. 

• Greek trochanté̄r ball on which the hip bone turns in its socket
• Neo-Latin
• 1605–15;

tro•chan•ter•ic  (trō′kən ter′ik), tro•chan′ter•al, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

trochanter / trəʊˈkæntə/ noun

1. any of several processes on the upper part of the vertebrate femur, to which muscles are attached
2. the third segment of an insect's leg

Etymology: 17th Century: via French from Greek trokhantēr, from trekhein to run