acetabulum
Americannoun
plural
acetabula-
Anatomy. the socket in the hipbone that receives the head of the thighbone.
-
Zoology. any of the suction appendages of a leech, octopus, etc.
noun
-
the deep cuplike cavity on the side of the hipbone that receives the head of the thighbone
-
a round muscular sucker in flatworms, leeches, and cephalopod molluscs
-
the aperture in the thorax of an insect that holds the leg
Other Word Forms
- acetabular adjective
- postacetabular adjective
- preacetabular adjective
- subacetabular adjective
Etymology
Origin of acetabulum
1660–70; < Latin: hip socket, cup-shaped part of a plant (Pliny), literally, small cup, originally for vinegar, equivalent to acēt ( um ) vinegar + -ā- by analogy with verbal derivatives ( vocable ) + -bulum suffix denoting instrument or vessel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
McCarthy’s voluminous research is everywhere on the page — and, yes, very impressive — but you may find yourself stopping to look up supercavitation, acetabulum or festination only to turn back having forgotten what’s happening.
From Washington Post • Nov. 15, 2021
The head of the femur becomes abnormally shaped and no longer fits seamlessly in the acetabulum, or socket, putting the hip at risk of future injury.
From Washington Post • May 15, 2017
The three areas of each hip bone, the ilium, pubis, and ischium, converge centrally to form a deep, cup-shaped cavity called the acetabulum.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
The acetabulum is deepened by the acetabular labrum.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
In the acetabulum the absorption takes place in an upward and backward direction, whereby the socket becomes enlarged and elongated towards the dorsum ilii.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.