loin
Americannoun
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Usually loins. the part or parts of the human body or of a quadruped animal on either side of the spinal column, between the false ribs and hipbone.
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a cut of meat from this region of an animal, especially a portion including the vertebrae of such parts.
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loins,
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the parts of the body between the hips and the lower ribs, especially regarded as the seat of physical strength and generative power.
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the genital and pubic area; genitalia.
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idioms
noun
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Also called: lumbus. anatomy the part of the lower back and sides between the pelvis and the ribs
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a cut of meat from this part of an animal
Etymology
Origin of loin
1275–1325; Middle English loyne < Middle French lo ( i ) gne, perhaps < Vulgar Latin *lumbea, noun use of feminine of *lumbeus of the loins, equivalent to Latin lumb ( us ) loin + -eus -eous
Explanation
Your loin is the part of your body just above your hip, but below your rib cage. A low-slung belt hangs more or less along your loin. Loin often refers generally to a person's body below their ribs, though rarely by doctors (who like to get more specific). At the butcher, though, it means a particular cut of meat, usually beef or pork, from an animal's low back and side. This is the earliest meaning of the word, which comes from the Old French loigne, "hip or haunch." In the Bible, loin means "part of the body that should be covered with clothing."
Vocabulary lists containing loin
Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 5
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Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One group of ash-smeared holy men, some naked and some dressed in just a loin cloth or marigold garland draped around their necks, marched through the streets, holding tridents, swords and small two-headed drums.
From BBC • Jan. 13, 2025
Each course is practically a feast unto itself: vol-au-vent, roasted veal loin, poached turbot, baked Alaska — and that’s just the first half-hour.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2023
The dish at the heart of the book is a dry-aged strip loin of beef with tomato and sorrel, and it is almost that simple a dish.
From Salon • Dec. 7, 2023
The taqueria Sandia opens in Bryant, hawking pork loin tacos and mushroom al pastor.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2023
I was curious to try the loin, and grilling outdoors over a fire seemed to me more in keeping with the hunter-gatherer theme.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
