sacrum

[ sak-ruhm, sey-kruhm ]

noun

, Anatomy.

, plural sac·ra [sak, -r, uh, sey, -kr, uh].

1. a bone resulting from the fusion of two or more vertebrae between the lumbar and the coccygeal regions, in humans being composed usually of five fused vertebrae and forming the posterior wall of the pelvis.

sacrum

/ ˈsækrəm; ˈseɪkrəm /

noun

1. (in man) the large wedge-shaped bone, consisting of five fused vertebrae, in the lower part of the back
2. the corresponding part in some other vertebrates

sacrum

/ sā′krəm,săk′rəm /

, Plural sacra

1. 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.
2. See more at skeleton

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacrum¹

1745–55; < Late Latin ( os ) sacrum holy (bone), translation of Greek hieròn ostéon

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacrum¹

C18: from Latin os sacrum holy bone, because it was used in sacrifices, from sacer holy

Example Sentences

Woods said his sacrum had to be put back in place.

From Seattle Times

She curls into a ball, pounding her fists against the floor, and later balances on her sacrum, torso gently circling, in a resemblance of yearning or prayer.

From New York Times

"Only by acknowledging our common Western identity and our common Judeo-Christian values, only by creating a new sacrum imperium, a new holy empire, can we overcome the current EU, the evil empire."

From Salon

I was born without a sacrum, the bone that connects the spine to the pelvis.

From New York Times

She has congenital sacral agenesis, meaning she was born with no sacrum.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• backside