Word of the Day: Phalange

I always thought a phalange was a digital bone, and when you clenched your fist, they formed a phalanx of bristling knuckles, or something like that. I filed that away as a somewhat inaccurate but serviceable definition years ago. Unfortunately, I was recently forced to relearn that word.

Oddly enough, I saw it in French as, "Formation militaire de la Grèce ancienne. Tous les Grecs mâles étaient fantassins (hoplites) dans l'armée de leur polis. La phalange était une formation très serrée disposée sur plusieurs rangs." Oh yes, as I thought, ancient Greek phalanx. Fortunately, there was a 'the phalange is...' version: "La Phalange est un segment osseux articulé dont est constitué le doigt ou l’orteil." Much better.

I reecently cracked the phalange on my little toe, the bone of that toe which is conjoint with the rest of the foot. I tripped over a chair, whose slender leg got trapped between my last two toes. I stumbled forward and momentum did the rest. The phalange cracked from side to side, and just like the Lady of Shalott, I cried out something which could colloquially be considered equivalent to her "the curse is upon me!"

And there you have it. Reduced mobility for 4-6 weeks. Sigh.