Meaning of epistropheus | Babel Free

Definitions

The second cervical vertebra of the spine which forms the pivot upon which the first cervical vertebra (the atlas), which carries the head, rotates.

Equivalents

Examples

“The union of the atlas and epistropheus is described in this section because (1) there is often a direct communication between the synovial cavity of the transverse epistropic and the occipito-atlantal joints; (2) the rotatory movements of the head take place around the dens (odontoid process); and (3) important ligaments from the dens pass over the atlas to the occiput.”

CEFR level