definitions

lacuna

[ luh-kyoo-nuh ]
/ ləˈkyu nə /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lacuna ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural la·cu·nae [luh-kyoo-nee] /ləˈkyu ni/, la·cu·nas.

a gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series, or logical argument; hiatus.
Anatomy. one of the numerous minute cavities in the substance of bone, supposed to contain nucleate cells.
Botany. an air space in the cellular tissue of plants.

RELATED WORDS

interval, opening, cavity, space, hiatus, gap, break, interim, depression

Nearby words

lactose, lactosuria, lactotherapy, lactotropin, lactovegetarian, lacuna, lacuna magna, lacunal, lacunar, lacunar amnesia, lacunar ligament

Origin of lacuna

1655–65; < Latin lacūna ditch, pit, hole, gap, deficiency, akin to lacus vat, lake1. Cf. lagoon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lacuna

British Dictionary definitions for lacuna

lacuna

/ (ləˈkjuːnə) /

noun plural -nae (-niː) or -nas

a gap or space, esp in a book or manuscript
biology a cavity or depression, such as any of the spaces in the matrix of bone
another name for coffer (def. 3)
Derived Formslacunose, lacunal or lacunary, adjectivelacunosity (ˌlækjʊˈnɒsɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for lacuna

C17: from Latin lacūna pool, cavity, from lacus lake
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

Medicine definitions for lacuna

lacuna

[ lə-kyōō′nə ]

n. pl. la•cu•nas

An anatomical cavity, space, or depression, especially in a bone.
An empty space or a missing part; a gap; a defect.
An abnormal space between the strata or between the cellular elements of the epidermis.
corneal space
Related formsla•cu′nal adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.