Sacrum
//ˈsækɹəm// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A large triangular bone at the base of the spine, located between the two ilia (wings of the pelvis) and formed from vertebrae that fuse in adulthood.
- 2 wedge-shaped bone consisting of five fused vertebrae forming the posterior part of the pelvis; its base connects with the lowest lumbar vertebra and its tip with the coccyx wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"When the sacral vertebrae are fused into a single structure, it is called the sacrum."
Etymology
From Latin os sacrum (“holy bone”), a calque of Ancient Greek ἱερὸν ὀστέον (hieròn ostéon). Apparently so called either because the sacrum was the part of the animal offered in sacrifice or because of a putative belief that it is where a person's soul resides. A third explanation is that the term is a translation of Ancient Greek ἱερόν (hierón), which has two meanings: “holy, sacred”, and “big” — big being a more appropriate description of the sacrum — but compare.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.