Sacrum definition
A triangular bone made up of five fused vertebrae and forming the posterior section of the pelvis.
noun
A triangular bone made up of five fused vertebrae and forming the posterior section of the pelvis.
noun
A triangular bone at the base of the spine, above the coccyx (tailbone), that forms the rear section of the pelvis. In humans it is made up of five vertebrae that fuse together by adulthood.
A thick, triangular bone situated near the lower end of the spinal column, where it joins both innominate bones to form the dorsal part of the pelvis: it is formed in humans of five fused vertebrae.
noun
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Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
sacrum
Plural:
sacra, sacrumsOrigin of sacrum
- New Latin from Late Latin (os) sacrum sacred (bone), sacrum (translation of Greek hieron (osteon) sacred (bone)) (so called from the use of the sacrum and coccyx of sacrificed animals in divination) neuter of Latin sacer sacred, holy sacred
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Latin ōs sacrum (“holy bone"), translation of Ancient Greek ἱερόν (hieron) ὀστέον (hieron osteon). Called so either because supposedly sacrum was the part of an animal offered in sacrifice or because of the belief that the soul of the man resides there.
From Wiktionary