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Pubis
Other Terms:
Os pubis
Type
irregular
Description
It, like the ischium, has the form of an arch or U shape that when joined with the ischium forms the obturator foramen. The pubis consists of a thick, medially positioned body that articulates with the opposite pubic body. From the body are two laterally projecting rami, one superior to the other.
Etymology
Puber is the Latin word for an adult of marriageable age. When used as a noun it literally meant "the time coming of hairs." This reference is to the appearance of hairs around the genitals. The bone below this region therefore received the name os pubis.
Articulations
The pubis articulates with two bones: the opposite pubis and femur. The bowl-like acetabulum articulates with the rounded head of the femur. Of the three elements of the os coxa, the pubis contributes least to the formation of the acetabulum. The medial surface of the pubic body forms the symphysial surface for articulation with the opposite pubis via the fibrocartilage symphysis.
Ossification
The pubis ossifies from a single primary center that arises in the fourth or fifth month in the superior ramus. Around the seventh year the pubis and ischium join to form an ossified ramus inferior to the obturator foramen. At puberty secondary centers appear in the acetabulum. These secondary centers fuse with the primary centers anywhere between the fifteenth and twenty-fifth year.
Latin
Os pubis