coccyx

[kok-siks]

SEE MORE 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

Related formscoc·cyg·e·al

[kok-sij-ee-uh l, -sij-uh l] /kɒkˈsɪdʒ i əl, -ˈsɪdʒ əl/, adjectivein·ter·coc·cyg·e·al, adjectivepre·coc·cyg·e·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for coccyx

Contemporary Examples of coccyx

The Englishman coming up behind her seized her where he could, in the region of her coccyx and her left rib cage.
'Are You Also With Fever?'
Dr. Abraham Verghese
February 11, 2009

Historical Examples of coccyx

There may be severe pain at the coccyx, especially in women.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine
Austin Malley
At its inferior, or lower angle, it is united to the coccyx.
A Treatise on Anatomy, Physiology, and Hygiene (Revised Edition)
Calvin Cutter
The bones were in perfect condition, even the coccyx being intact.
Archeological Investigations
Gerard Fowke
Also note how much longer and more solid the sacrum (with its attached bone, called the coccyx) is in the male pelvis.
Woman
William J. Robinson
The sinus on the back extends from the coccyx to the ribs, and from one ilium to the other.
Report on Surgery to the Santa Clara County Medical Society
Joseph Bradford Cox

British Dictionary definitions for coccyx

coccyx

noun plural coccyges (kɒkˈsaɪdʒiːz)

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

Derived Formscoccygeal (kɒkˈsɪdʒɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for coccyx

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

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

Word Origin and History for coccyx

1610s, from Latin coccyx, from Greek kokkyx "cuckoo" (from kokku, like the bird's English name echoic of its cry), so called by ancient Greek physician Galen because the bone in humans supposedly resembles a cuckoo's beak.

coccyx in Medicine

coccyx

[kŏk′sĭks]

n. pl. coc•cy•ges (kŏk-sī′jēz, kŏk′sĭ-jēz′)

The small triangular bone located at the base of the spinal column, formed by the fusion of four rudimentary vertebrae, and articulating above with the sacrum.tailbone

coccyx in Science

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