uncinus

Uncinus is a Latin term meaning hook or hook-shaped, used in scientific descriptions to denote a hook-like morphology. The word derives from the Latin uncus (hook) with the adjectival suffix -inus. In practice, uncinus serves as a descriptive term within larger names or descriptions, rather than designating a single fixed anatomical structure.

In anatomy and paleontology, uncinus appears in older or descriptive texts to label hook-shaped projections on bones, dental elements, or exoskeletal features, as well as to describe curved spines or processes on fossil remains. In botany and plant morphology, hooked tips or bristles on seeds, fruits, or other organs may be described using the same root to convey curvature, though more specialized descriptors are often preferred in contemporary terminology (for example uncinate or uncinulate). The term thus functions principally as a shape descriptor, applicable across a range of taxa without implying a shared function or identity.

See also: uncus, uncinus, uncinulate, uncinate, unciniform.