a. [ad. L. crūrāl-is adj., f. crūs, crūr- leg.]
1. Of or belonging to the leg; spec. in Anat., as in crural artery, nerve, vein, vessels.
Crural arch, the arch formed by Poupart’s ligament, beneath which the crural vessels emerge; crural canal, a canal about half an inch long forming the innermost compartment of the crural sheath, through which a femoral hernia passes; crural hernia, a hernia descending beside the crural vessels; crural ring, the upper end of the crural canal; crural septum, the septum of connective tissue normally closing the crural canal at the top; crural sheath, the sheath that encloses the crural vessels as they leave the abdomen.
1599. A. M., trans. Gabelhouer’s Bk. Physicke, 393/2. An excellent Cruralle Playster.
1634. T. Johnson, Parey’s Chirurg., 225. The crurall artery arising from the same place whence the crurall veine proceeded.
1676. Shadwell, Virtuoso, III. If the capricious fly happens not to remove itself by crural motion, or the vibration of its wings.
1708. Keill, Anim. Secretion, 91. The Blood must stagnate in the Crural Vessels.
1836. Todd, Cycl. Anat., I. 396/1. Hernia of the bladder at the crural ring is very rare.
1870. R. M. Ferguson, Electr., 157. The legs … are skinned, and the crural nerve laid bare.
b. as sb. Short for crural artery, nerve, etc.
1667. Phil. Trans., II. 514. The Umbilical Arteries … said to be derived from the Crurals.
1741. Monro, Anat. Nerves (ed. 3), 70. The two Crurals, with the Sciatic … are distributed to the inferior Extremities.
2. Of the nature or form of a leg.
1842. Brande, Dict. Sci., Crural.… Shaped like a leg or root. Hence in Webster and mod. Dicts.
