acetabulum

noun

ac·​e·​tab·​u·​lum ˌa-sə-ˈta-byə-ləm 

plural acetabulums or acetabula ˌa-sə-ˈta-byə-lə 

1

: a ventral sucker of a trematode

2

: the cup-shaped socket in the hip bone

acetabular

ˌa-sə-ˈta-byə-lər 

adjective

Examples of acetabulum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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 *-d^hlom) — more at acetic acid

Note: Late Indo-European apparently possessed several deverbal instrumental suffixes of similar shape (*-d^hlo-, *-tlo-, *-d^hro-, *-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

Medical Definition

acetabulum

noun

ac·​e·​tab·​u·​lum -ˈtab-yə-ləm 

plural acetabulums or acetabula -lə 

1

: the cup-shaped socket in the hip bone

2

: a sucker of an invertebrate (as a trematode or leech)

acetabular

-lər 

adjective