Ellipsoid joint

A condylar joint (Articulatio condylaris), or ellipsoid* joint, or imperfect hinge, opposes a stretched head or a condyle to a glenoidal cavity. It allows principal movments of flexion and extension and accessory movements of laterality or of sliding.

Exemples: the femoro-tibial joint, the temporo-mandibular joint, ...

*An ellipsoid is a geometrical shape obtained by the unidirectional stretching of a sphere.