lumb-

Lumb– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “loin.” Loin, frequently in the plural loins, refers to the part of the body above your hip and below the ribcage or around the groin. Lumb– is occasionally used in medical terms, especially in anatomy.

Lumb– comes from Latin lumbus, meaning “loin,” which is also the source of loin as well as technical terms such as lumbago, a type of pain in the lower back, and numbles, the innards of certain animals that are used for food.

What are variants of lumb-?

Lumb– is a variant of lumbo–, which loses its –o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about lumbo-.

A term that you may have come across that uses the form lumb– is lumbar, meaning “of or relating to the loin or loins.” Lumbar comes from Latin lumbāris, which features the equivalent of lumb– in that language.

Lumb– means “loin,” while the –ar part of the word is used to form adjectives meaning “of the kind, pertaining to, having the form of character of,” from Latin –āris. Lumbar literally means “pertaining to the loin.”

What are some words that use the combining form lumb-?

• lumbago (using the equivalent form of lumb– in Latin)
• lumbar hernia
• lumbar rib
• lumbar nerve
• lumbarization

What are some other forms that lumb– may be commonly confused with?

• labio-
• lympho-
• lyo-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters lumb-, such as lumbrial or lumber, is necessarily using the combining form lumb– to denote “loin.” Learn why lumber means “wood” at our entry for the word.

Based on the meaning of lumb-, where in the body would you expect to find the lumbar nerve?