phalanx (phal) /phal/ pl. phalanges [Gk, line of soldiers] , any of the 14 tapering bones composing the fingers of each hand and the toes of each foot. They are arranged in three rows at the distal end of the metacarpus and the metatarsus. The fingers each have three phalanges (proximal, middle, and distal); the thumb has two. Toes 2 through 5 each have three phalanges; the great toe has two (proximal and distal). The phalanges of the foot are smaller and less flexible than those of the hand.
