Editing Scapula (section)

{{Short description|Bone that connects the humerus and clavicle}}
{{About|the bone|the Roman Catholic sacramental pendant|Scapular|the Roman Governor of Britain|Publius Ostorius Scapula}}
{{Redirect|Shoulderblade|the community in the United States|Shoulderblade, Kentucky}}
{{Infobox bone
| Name          = Scapula
| Latin         = scapula <br /> (omo)
| Image         = Pectoral girdle front diagram.svg
| Caption       =
| Image2        = Scapula - posterior view2.png
| Caption2      = The upper picture is an anterior (from the front) view of the [[thorax]] and [[shoulder girdle]]. The lower picture is a posterior (from the rear) view of the thorax (scapula shown in red).
| Articulations =
}}
The '''scapula''' ({{plural form}}: '''scapulae''' or '''scapulas'''<ref>O.D.E. 2nd Ed. 2005</ref>), also known as the '''shoulder blade''', is the [[bone]] that connects the [[humerus]] (upper arm bone) with the [[clavicle]] (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on either side of the body being roughly a mirror image of the other. The name derives from the [[Classical Latin]] word for [[trowel]] or small [[shovel]], which it was thought to resemble.

In compound terms, the prefix '''omo-''' is used for the shoulder blade in medical terminology. This prefix is derived from ὦμος (ōmos), the Ancient Greek word for shoulder, and is cognate with the Latin {{lang|la|(h)umerus}}, which in Latin signifies either the shoulder or the upper arm bone.

The scapula forms the back of the [[shoulder girdle]]. In humans, it is a [[flat bone]], roughly triangular in shape, placed on a posterolateral aspect of the [[thoracic cage]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ehealthstar.com/anatomy/shoulder-blade-scapula|title=Scapula (Shoulder Blade) Anatomy, Muscles, Location, Function {{!}} EHealthStar|website=www.ehealthstar.com|date=2 December 2014|access-date=2016-03-17}}</ref>