What Are the English Words for Body Parts?

TL;DR

English body part vocabulary goes far beyond basics: the coloured part of the eye is the iris, the white part is the sclera, the groove between nose and upper lip is the philtrum, and the collarbone is the clavicle. Humans are born with around 300 bones but adults have around 206. The spine holds roughly 33 vertebrae across cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and coccyx regions.

Transcript

Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to I've got quite the lesson for you today, Today, we're going to get up close and really personal. We're tackling a lot, we're going to go into a lot of detail. So buckle up, make sure you are all ears as we explore the amazing machine that is To assist your learning, I've put download for free. It contains... Read More

Key Insights

• The iris is the coloured part of the eye, while the pupil is the black hole in the middle and the sclera is the white part. The pupil enlarges when there is little light, which can make eyes look dilated in dark venues.
• The philtrum is the little groove between the nose and the upper lip, and the cupid's bow is the double curve of the upper lip just below it. Both are distinct from the nostrils, the two openings of the nose.
• The clavicle is the fancy name for the collarbone, and it is one of the most commonly broken bones in the body. The shoulder blades are also called scapulae, and the large muscle across the shoulders is the trapezius, shortened to traps.
• Humans are born with around 300 bones, but as people grow some of those bones fuse together, so adults have only around 206. The spine follows the same pattern, with some of its roughly 33 vertebrae fusing during growth.
• The spine, also called the backbone, is divided into regions: the cervical spine in the neck, the thoracic or upper back, the lumbar spine in the lower back, the sacrum, and the coccyx or tailbone at the bottom.
• The Adam's apple is not an apple but cartilage covering the larynx, the part of the throat that contains the vocal cords. The vocal cords are what people use to speak and sing, and the nape is the back of the neck.
• Tendons are the tissues that join muscles to bone. The Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle is the strongest tendon in the body, yet it is also one of the most commonly injured, and it takes its name from a figure invulnerable everywhere except the heel.
• Dimples, the indentations that appear in some people's cheeks when they smile, are caused by a split in the muscle that runs through the cheek. Not everyone has them, which may explain why so many people find them appealing.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the coloured part of the eye called in English?

The coloured part of the eye is called the iris. It is one of three commonly confused eye terms: the pupil is the black hole in the middle, and the sclera is the white part of the eye. The pupil gets bigger when there is not much light available, which is why eyes can look unusually dilated in dark places. Surrounding structures include the eyelid, which keeps the eyes moist and protected, the eyelashes that act as another line of protection, and the eyebrows above them.

Q: What is the groove between the nose and the upper lip called?

That little groove running between the nose and the upper lip is called the philtrum. Directly below it is the cupid's bow, which is the double curve shape of the upper lip itself. These are separate from the nostrils, the two openings of the nose. The philtrum appears in quiz form in the lesson precisely because learners often mix it up with the cupid's bow or the uvula, the dangly piece at the back of the mouth.

Q: How many bones does an adult human have compared to a baby?

People are born with around 300 bones, but adults only have around 206. The reduction happens because as a person grows, some of those separate bones fuse together into single bones. The spine shows the same process: it is usually made up of about 33 individual vertebrae, though some of these fuse during growth. This is why the vertebra count and the total bone count both drop between infancy and adulthood.

Q: What are the different regions of the human spine?

The spine, also called the backbone, is not one long bone but a column of roughly 33 individual vertebrae divided into regions. The cervical spine is in the neck. The thoracic spine is the upper back. The lumbar spine sits in the lower back. Below that is the sacrum, and at the very bottom is the coccyx, also known as the tailbone. Some of the vertebrae in these regions fuse together as a person grows.

Q: What is the Adam's apple actually made of?

Despite the name, the Adam's apple is not an apple at all: it is cartilage that covers the larynx, the part of the throat containing the vocal cords. It appears as a lump at the front of the neck. The vocal cords inside the larynx are what people use to speak and sing. Cartilage itself is flexible connective tissue, the same material found in the tragus, the small flap on the ear.

Q: What are the anatomical names for the collarbone and shoulder blades?

The collarbone's fancy name is the clavicle, and it is one of the most commonly broken bones in the body. The shoulder blades are the two large flat bones at the back, formally called scapulae. Running from the back of the neck across the shoulders is a big muscle called the trapezius, which most people simply shorten to traps. Together these terms cover the main bone and muscle vocabulary for the shoulder area.

Q: What are the muscle and bone names in the leg and foot?

At the front of the thigh above the knee sit the quadriceps, shortened to quads. Behind the knee are the hamstring muscles and tendons. The kneecap is also called the patella, the round bone at the front of the knee. In the lower leg, the calf is the bulgy muscle at the back and the shin is at the front, with the tibia bone, the second-largest bone after the femur or thigh bone. The heel bone is the calcaneus.

Q: Why does the video say the male and female body part vocabulary is not a clear divide?

The lesson presents typical reproductive anatomy vocabulary in two groups: ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, vagina and vulva on one side, and testicles, scrotum and penis on the other. It then notes explicitly that some people will have both and some people will have none of these, so the division is not a clear one. The stated goal is simply to equip learners with the vocabulary rather than to draw firm categories.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The head and face carry many precise terms: forehead, temples over the temporal bones, the tragus flap of cartilage on the ear, the earlobe, the crown at the top, and the scalp covering the head. The occipital bone sits at the back, in the occipital region where visual processing happens.

• Eye and mouth vocabulary includes iris, pupil, sclera, eyelid, eyelashes and eyebrows, plus the glabella dip between the brows where frown lines called 11's appear. Inside the mouth are the gums, the palate roof and the dangly uvula, which helps with swallowing and producing certain language sounds.

• The torso, limbs and skin get equally detailed names: sternum, obliques, navel, floating ribs, biceps, triceps, forearm, carpals in the wrist, knuckles, quadriceps, hamstring, patella kneecap, tibia in the shin, Achilles tendon, calcaneus heel bone, the ball of the foot, and the hallux big toe.