The thigh is the upper part of your leg, the section between your hip and your knee. It's the longest and strongest part of your leg, containing your body's largest bone, the femur. When you sit down, your thighs rest on the chair. When you run or jump, powerful muscles in your thighs do much of the work.

The thigh muscles are remarkably strong because they have to lift your entire body weight with every step. Sprinters develop especially powerful thigh muscles from training. Basketball players use their thighs to jump high for rebounds. Even activities like climbing stairs or riding a bike rely heavily on your thigh strength.

In cooking, the word thigh refers to the upper leg portion of poultry. Chicken thighs are darker and juicier than chicken breasts because leg muscles work harder and contain more fat. When your family roasts a whole chicken or turkey for dinner, the thighs are the meatiest part of the legs.