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acetabulum

 - 4 dictionary results

ac⋅e⋅tab⋅u⋅lum

  [as-i-tab-yuh-luhm]
Use acetabulum in a Sentence
–noun, plural -la  [-luh] .
1. Anatomy. the socket in the hipbone that receives the head of the thighbone.
2. Zoology. any of the suction appendages of a leech, octopus, etc.
Origin:
1660–70; < L: hip socket, cup-shaped part of a plant (Pliny), lit., small cup, orig. for vinegar, equiv. to acēt(um) vinegar + -ā- by analogy with v. derivs. (cf. vocable ) + -bulum suffix denoting instrument or vessel

Related forms:
ac⋅e⋅tab⋅u⋅lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ac·e·tab·u·lum   (ās'ĭ-tāb'yə-ləm)   


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n.   pl. ac·e·tab·u·la (-lə)

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

  2. Zoology The cavity in the body of an insect into which the leg fits.

  3. Zoology A cup-shaped structure, such as the sucker of a tapeworm or leech.


[Latin acētābulum, vinegar cup, from acētum, vinegar; see acetum.]
ac'e·tab'u·lar (-lər) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ac·e·tab·u·lum
Pronunciation: -'tab-y&-l&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ac·e·tab·u·lums or ac·e·tab·u·la /-l&/
1 : the cup-shaped socket in the hipbone
2 : a sucker of an invertebrate (as a trematode or leech) —ac·e·tab·u·lar /-l&r/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

acetabulum ac·e·tab·u·lum (ās'ĭ-tāb'yə-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. Also called cotyloid cavity.

ac'e·tab'u·lar adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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