/ saɪˈnəʊviəl; sɪˈn-; NAmE sɪˈnoʊ-/ adjective
( biology ) ( of a joint ) having a membrane (=a piece of very thin skin) containing liquid between the bones, which allows the joint to move freely
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 18th cent.: from modern Latin synovia , probably formed arbitrarily by Paracelsus (c. 1493-1541), the Swiss physician.