What are the cartilage-covered, round ends of bones that form the joint surface called?

• A. Fossa
• B. Condyle
• C. Epiphysis
• D. Process

Answer: (B)

The term describes the rounded, cartilage-covered ends of bones that come together to form a joint surface: condyle. A condyle is a smooth, articular bump that fits against a corresponding depression or groove on the adjacent bone, allowing movement with minimal friction. Think of the femoral condyles at the knee or the mandibular condyle at the jaw—these rounded ends are designed for articulation.

Fossa, by contrast, is a depression where a bone or condyle sits, not the rounded end itself; epiphysis refers to the end portion of a long bone (the region that includes the joint surface but isn’t limited to the rounded articular end); and a process is any projection or bump on a bone. So the best match for the described structure is condyle.