People paws?

December 17, 2007 10:49 AM

If toes and fingers are digits, and arms and legs are appendages (limbs, extremities), what's the general anatomical term for hands and feet?
posted by gottabefunky to grab bag (14 comments total)

hands and feet are all feet, the front feet are called hands in primates.
posted by bruce at 10:55 AM on December 17, 2007

"Extremity" includes hands and feet.
posted by amro at 10:56 AM on December 17, 2007

Worth noting that in Russian, the words for "hand" and "arm" are the same (also foot and leg).
posted by ORthey at 11:00 AM on December 17, 2007

My 13 year old daughter tells me that in her biology class they are called "phalanges" not sure if that's general enough.
posted by vermontlife at 11:07 AM on December 17, 2007

The phalanges are the actual bones in the hands and feet. The term doesn't include the musculature and skin.
posted by Malor at 11:14 AM on December 17, 2007

Hm - phalanges are the bones in fingers and toes. I'm looking for a term that just refers to hands and feet (digits included) but not arms and legs.
posted by gottabefunky at 11:15 AM on December 17, 2007

They are the "hands" and "feet".
posted by hermitosis at 11:19 AM on December 17, 2007

Dactyled extremities or dactylextremities is my suggestion, if you end up creating a term.
posted by cashman at 11:29 AM on December 17, 2007

“Pes” and “manus.”
posted by breaks the guidelines? at 11:30 AM on December 17, 2007

Bruce is right, the generic is "foot".
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 11:35 AM on December 17, 2007

"Extremities." Hands and feet is exactly what it means in an anatomical context.
posted by adamrice at 11:48 AM on December 17, 2007

If you call your hand a foot, that may be scientifically correct but you will confuse every single speaker of english you talk to, including people that know that more general usage.

I would use "extremities" and call your arms and legs "limbs"
posted by aubilenon at 12:21 PM on December 17, 2007

Extremities also includes ears and nose.
posted by desuetude at 3:20 PM on December 17, 2007

I gotta jump on the "extremities" bandwagon:

ex·trem·i·ty /ɪkˈstrɛmɪti/ [ik-strem-i-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.
1. the extreme or terminal point, limit, or part of something.
2. a limb of the body.
3. Usually, extremities. the end part of a limb, as a hand or foot: to experience cold in one's extremities.

posted by Partial Law at 4:11 PM on December 17, 2007