lacuna

[ luh-kyoo-nuh ]
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noun,plural la·cu·nae [luh-kyoo-nee], /ləˈkyu ni/, la·cu·nas.
  1. a gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series, or logical argument; hiatus.

  2. Anatomy. one of the numerous minute cavities in the substance of bone, supposed to contain nucleate cells.

  1. Botany. an air space in the cellular tissue of plants.

Origin of lacuna

1
First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin lacūna “ditch, pit, hole, gap, deficiency,” akin to lacus “basin, tub, vat, lake”; see lake1. Cf. lagoon

Words Nearby lacuna

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How to use lacuna in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lacuna

lacuna

/ (ləˈkjuːnə) /


nounplural -nae (-niː) or -nas
  1. a gap or space, esp in a book or manuscript

  2. biology a cavity or depression, such as any of the spaces in the matrix of bone

  1. another name for coffer (def. 3)

Origin of lacuna

1
C17: from Latin lacūna pool, cavity, from lacus lake

Derived forms of lacuna

  • lacunose, lacunal or lacunary, adjective
  • lacunosity (ˌlækjʊˈnɒsɪtɪ), noun

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