loin
/ˈloɪn/ ~ /ˈlɔɪn/ noun
Forms loins
- noun The part of the body (of humans and quadrupeds) at each side of the backbone, between the ribs and hips.
- noun Any of several cuts of meat taken from this part of an animal. “beef loin; goat loin; lamb loin; pork loin; also chicken loin and turkey loin (but these are almost always referred to as tenderloins)”
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English loyne, from Old French loigne, from Vulgar Latin *lumbea, from Latin lumbus, of uncertain origin, possibly from Oscan-Umbrian *londwo- or Proto-Germanic *lundwuz, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- (“kidney, waist”). Cognate with Modern English lend (“loin”), Dutch lende, German Lende, Swedish länd (“haunch, loin”), Danish lænd, Proto-Slavic *lędvьje (Russian ля́двея (ljádveja)). Doublet of lend.
Webster’s 1913
- noun That part of a human being or quadruped, which extends on either side of the spinal column between the hip bone and the false ribs. In human beings the loins are also called the reins. See Illust. of Beef.
Etymology [OE. loine, OF. logne, F. longe, from (assumed) LL. lumbea, L. lumbus join. Cf. Lends, Lumbar, Nombles.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “loin”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details