Short bone
Os breve
Definition
The short bones are located in the parts of the skeleton that are intended for strength and compactness combined with limited movement, as in the carpus and tarsus. The short bones consist of cancellous tissue covered by a thin crust of compact substance. The patellæ, together with the other sesamoid bones, are by some regarded as short bones.
References
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
