lordosis

American  

[lawr-doh-sis] / lɔrˈdoʊ sɪs /

noun

1. Pathology. an abnormal forward curvature of the spine in the lumbar region, resulting in a swaybacked posture.

2. a posture assumed by some female mammals during mating, in which the back arches downward.

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lordosis British  

/ lɔːˈdəʊsɪs /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: hollow-back.  pathol forward curvature of the lumbar spine: congenital or caused by trauma or disease Compare kyphosis scoliosis

2. zoology concave arching of the back occurring in many female animals during sexual stimulation

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Other Word Forms

• lordotic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of lordosis

1695–1705; < New Latin < Greek lórdōsis literally, a bending back, equivalent to lord ( ós ) bent backwards + -ōsis -osis

Compare meaning

How does lordosis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• scoliosis vs. lordosis

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lordosis

Observe the vertebral profile from the side and then from behind to check for kyphosis or lordosis.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

There is marked kyphosis at the seat of the disease and compensatory lordosis above and below.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles

The most striking feature is the extreme lordosis, accompanied usually by a secondary and compensatory curve in the cervico-dorsal region, so that the shoulders are rounded, with the head poked forward.

From The Nervous Child by Hector Charles Cameron

The absence of a compensatory lordosis in such a condition would warrant the inference that the patient had been bed-ridden.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles

Scoliosis, lordosis, knock-knee, flat foot, pigeon chest, albuminuria, cold and cyanosed extremities, are the rule rather than the exception.

From The Nervous Child by Hector Charles Cameron