cancellus

[kan-sel-uh s]

noun, plural can·cel·li

[kan-sel-ahy, -sel-ee] /kænˈsɛl aɪ, -ˈsɛl i/. Architecture.

(in an early Christian basilica) one of a row of bars separating the clergy and sometimes the choir from the congregation.
(in an ancient Roman basilica) one of a row of bars separating the court personnel from the spectators.
cancelli, a screen of such bars.

Origin of cancellus

< Latin, equivalent to canc(rī) grating (plural of cancer, apparently dissimilated form of carcer prison) + -ellus diminutive suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

cancellus in Medicine

cancellus

[kăn-sĕl′əs]

n. pl. can•cel•li (-lī′)

A latticelike structure, such as spongy bone.

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