Lumbago

//lʌmˈbeɪɡəʊ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Backache of the lumbar region or lower back, which can be caused by muscle strain or a slipped disc. also, attributive, uncountable

    "Sir Oswald Feiling winced as he turned to go home. He had felt a warning twinge of lumbago."

  2. 2
    backache affecting the lumbar region or lower back; can be caused by muscle strain or arthritis or vascular insufficiency or a ruptured intervertebral disc wordnet
  3. 3
    An episode of such backache. also, attributive, countable
Verb
  1. 1
    To affect (someone) with lumbago. also, attributive, transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
abscessadenoiditisadrenitisagueanemiaankylosis

Example

More examples

"Due to my lumbago, I won't be able to attend Koizumi's party."

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Late Latin lumbāgō (“backache of the lumbar region”), from Late Latin lumbus (“lumbar”), Latin lumbus (“loin”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- (“loins”)) + -āgō (suffix forming nouns describing objects, animals, and plants). The verb is derived from the noun.

Related phrases

slipped disk

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.