acetabulum
UK /ˌæs.ɪˈtæb.jʊl.əm/ · US /ˌæs.əˈtæb.jəl.əm/ noun
Forms acetabulums acetabula
- noun (anatomy) The bony cup of the hip bone which receives the head of the femur.
- noun (zootomy) The cavity in which the leg of an insect is inserted at its articulation with the body.
- noun (zootomy) A sucker of the sepia or cuttlefish and related animals.
- noun (zootomy) The large posterior sucker of the leeches.
- noun (zootomy) One of the lobes of the placenta in ruminating animals.
- noun A vinegar saucer, especially (historical) in ancient Roman contexts.
- noun (historical) A Roman unit of liquid measure reckoned as the volume of 2½ Roman ounces of wine and equivalent to about 66 mL although differing slightly over time.
Synonyms
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin acētābulum (“vinegar saucer, 1/48 congius”), from acētum (“vinegar”) + -bulum (“-bule: a vessel for”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A vinegar cup; socket of the hip bone; a measure of about one eighth of a pint, etc.
- noun (a) The bony cup which receives the head of the thigh bone.
Etymology [L., a little saucer for vinegar, fr. acetum vinegar, fr. acere to be sour.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “acetabulum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details