acetabulum

noun

ac·​e·​tab·​u·​lum ˌa-sə-ˈta-byə-ləm How to pronounce acetabulum (audio)
plural acetabulums or acetabula ˌa-sə-ˈta-byə-lə How to pronounce acetabulum (audio)
1
: a ventral sucker of a trematode
2
: the cup-shaped socket in the hip bone
acetabular
ˌa-sə-ˈta-byə-lər How to pronounce acetabulum (audio)
adjective

Examples of acetabulum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The orthopedic surgeon performed a nine hour surgery on the actress, replacing her acetabulum with titanium. —Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024 The hip is a ball-in-socket joint where the head of the femur (upper leg bone) sits in the acetabulum, a socket in the pelvic bone. —Milo F. Bryant, Men's Health, 8 Nov. 2022

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin acētābulum "small cup (originally used for vinegar), sucker of a polyp, socket of the hip bone," from acētum "vinegar" + -a- (by analogy with derivatives formed from verbs, as vocābulum vocable) + -bulum, instrument suffix (going back to Indo-European *-dhlom) — more at acetic acid

Note: Late Indo-European apparently possessed several deverbal instrumental suffixes of similar shape (*-dhlo-, *-tlo-, *-dhro-, *-tro-, perhaps all originally < *-tro-, zero-grade of the agent suffix -tor), which are unevenly attested and partially conflated in the daughter languages. Note in Latin rōstrum "beak, rostrum"; crībrum "sieve" (see cribriform); obstāculum obstacle; stabulum stable entry 1.

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of acetabulum was in 1661

Dictionary Entries Near acetabulum

acetabuliferous

acetabulum

acetacetic acid

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Acetabulum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acetabulum. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

acetabulum

noun
ac·​e·​tab·​u·​lum -ˈtab-yə-ləm How to pronounce acetabulum (audio)
plural acetabulums or acetabula -lə How to pronounce acetabulum (audio)
1
: the cup-shaped socket in the hip bone
2
: a sucker of an invertebrate (as a trematode or leech)
acetabular
-lər How to pronounce acetabulum (audio)
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on acetabulum

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about acetabulum

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...