fĕmur, ŏris or ĭnis (acc. to a nom. ‡ femen, mentioned only by Prisc. p. 701 P. and Serv. Verg. A. 10, 344; 778; nom. femus, Ap. M. 8, p. 216, 15; cf.: μῆρος, femus, Gloss. Lab.; dat. femori; femini only Plin. 28, 15, 61, § 217; abl. usually femore, but femine, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 48; Verg. A. 10, 788; plur. femora or femina; dat. feminibus, rarely femoribus), n. [etym. dub.; cf. root feo of femina, etc.], the upper part of the thigh, the thigh.
I Lit.: ima spina in coxarum osse desinit, etc. ... inde femina oriuntur, Cels. 8, 1 med. : frons non percussa, non femur, Cic. Brut. 80, 278: ferit femur dextrum dextra, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 50: femur caedere, Quint. 2, 12, 10: ferire, id. 11, 3, 123; cf.: feminis plangore et capitis ictu uti, Auct. Her. 3, 15, 27; Cic. N. D. 1, 35, 99; id. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 93: transfixus femore et umero, Suet. Caes. 68; id. Aug. 80: nocet femori conseruisse femur, Tib. 1, 8, 26: et corpus quaerens femorum crurumque pedumque, Ov. M. 14, 64: teretes stipites feminis crassitudine, Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 6: ocius ensem eripit a femine, Verg. A. 10, 788: galli feminibus pilosis, cruribus brevibus, Varr. R. R. 3, 9, 5.—
II Transf.
A In architecture, the space between the grooves of a triglyph , Vitr. 4, 3.—
B Femur bubulum, a plant otherwise unknown , Plin. 27, 9, 56, § 81.—
C Esp., like lumbi, the loins , of ancestry (Eccl. Lat.): de femore Jacob, Vulg. Ex. 1, 5; id. Gen. 46, 26.