coccyx

[ kok-siks ]

See synonyms for coccyx on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural coc·cy·ges

[kok-sahy-jeez, kok-si-jeez]. /kɒkˈsaɪ dʒiz, ˈkɒk sɪˌdʒiz/.

a small triangular bone forming the lower extremity of the spinal column in humans, consisting of four ankylosed rudimentary vertebrae.
a corresponding part in certain animals.

Origin of coccyx

1605–15; <New Latin <Greek kókkyx cuckoo, from its resemblance to a cuckoo's beak

Other words from coccyx

coc·cyg·e·al [kok-sij-ee-uhl, -sij-uhl], /kɒkˈsɪdʒ i əl, -ˈsɪdʒ əl/, adjective
in·ter·coc·cyg·e·al, adjective
pre·coc·cyg·e·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use coccyx in a sentence

The number and size of the coccygeal vertebr vary, apparently in correlation with the increased size of the tail.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I. | Charles Darwin
The lowest coccygeal vertebrae of man remain as a rudimentary tail.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 | Various
They are: the ischio-coccygeal, superior sacro-coccygeal, lateral sacro-coccygeal, and inferior sacro-coccygeal.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals | douard Cuyer
In the pig, and especially in the horse, it passes further upwards, to arise from the aponeurosis of the coccygeal muscles.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals | douard Cuyer
In the pig, it also takes origin higher up from the sacro-sciatic ligament and the coccygeal aponeurosis.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals | douard Cuyer

British Dictionary definitions for coccyx

coccyx

/ (ˈkɒksɪks) /

nounplural coccyges (kɒkˈsaɪdʒiːz)

a small triangular bone at the end of the spinal column in man and some apes, representing a vestigial tail

Origin of coccyx

C17: from New Latin, from Greek kokkux cuckoo, of imitative origin; from the likeness of the bone to a cuckoo's beak

Derived forms of coccyx

coccygeal (kɒkˈsɪdʒɪəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for coccyx

coccyx

[ kŏk′sĭks ]

Plural coccyges (kŏk-sī′jēz, kŏk′sĭ-jēz′)

A small triangular bone at the base of the spine in humans and apes. It is composed of several fused vertebrae. Also called tailbone

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