acetabulum

[ as-i-tab-yuh-luh m ]
/ ˌæs ɪˈtæb yə ləm /

noun, plural ac·e·tab·u·la [as-i-tab-yuh-luh] /ˌæs ɪˈtæb yə lə/.

Anatomy. the socket in the hipbone that receives the head of the thighbone.
Zoology. any of the suction appendages of a leech, octopus, etc.

Origin of acetabulum

1660–70; < Latin: hip socket, cup-shaped part of a plant (Pliny), literally, small cup, orig. for vinegar, equivalent to acēt(um) vinegar + -ā- by analogy with verbal derivatives (cf. vocable) + -bulum suffix denoting instrument or vessel

OTHER WORDS FROM acetabulum

ac·e·tab·u·lar, adjective post·ac·e·tab·u·lar, adjective pre·ac·e·tab·u·lar, adjective sub·ac·e·tab·u·lar, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for acetabulum

British Dictionary definitions for acetabulum

acetabulum
/ (ˌæsɪˈtæbjʊləm) /

noun plural -la (-lə)

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

Word Origin for acetabulum

Latin: vinegar cup, hence a cuplike cavity, from acētum vinegar + -abulum, suffix denoting a container

Medical definitions for acetabulum

acetabulum
[ ăs′ĭ-tăbyə-ləm ]

n. pl. ac•e•tab•u•la (-lə)

The cup-shaped cavity at the base of the hipbone into which the ball-shaped head of the femur fits. cotyloid cavity

Other words from acetabulum

ac′e•tabu•lar adj.