Affixes

The medical term tarsus either refers to the seven bones that form the ankle and upper part of the foot, or to a thin sheet of fibrous connective tissue which supports the edge of each eyelid.

A tarsometatarsus (adjective tarsometatarsal) is a long bone in the lower leg of birds and some reptiles, formed by fusion of tarsal and metatarsal structures. Examples of medical terms are tarsorrhaphy (Greek rhaphē, a seam), an operation in which the upper and lower eyelids are joined together to protect the cornea; tarsitis, inflammation of the eyelid; and tarsectomy (Greek ektomē, excision), either surgical removal of the tarsal bones of the foot, or of a section of the tarsus of the eye.