Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - tarsus

 noun  (plural tarsi)  Etymology: New Latin, from Greek tarsos wickerwork mat, flat of the foot, ankle, edge of the eyelid; akin to Greek tersesthai to become dry — more at thirst  Date: circa 1615  1. the part of the foot of a vertebrate between the meta~ and the leg; also the small bones that support this part of the limb  2. the tarsal plate of the eyelid  3. the distal part of the limb of an arthropod  4. tarsometa~ TARSUS  geographical name city S Turkey near the Cilician Gates capital of ancient Cilicia population 187,508