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pelvic

American  
[pel-vik] / ˈpɛl vɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the pelvis.


pelvic British  
/ ˈpɛlvɪk /

adjective

  1. of, near, or relating to the pelvis

"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

Etymology

Origin of pelvic

First recorded in 1820–30; pelv(is) + -ic


Explanation

Anything pelvic relates to the pelvis, which are the bones at the bottom of your spine, below your waist and above your legs. Elvis got in trouble for shaking his pelvic area on television. Pelvis refers the bowl-shaped bones right below your gut and include your hips. The pelvis is the center of your body, and anything pelvic is therefore important. Men don’t usually have to, but women go for pelvic exams. The pelvic area is crucial in childbirth. It’s also an important part of dance – no one’s getting in trouble for hip shaking these days!

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In the first three months after insertion, for instance, 69 percent of participants experienced heavy bleeding, and 28 percent had pelvic discomfort.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026

"It possesses bird-like pelvic and hindlimb structures yet retains the specialized predatory foot and teeth of a small meat-eating dinosaur. It shows us that early bird evolution was far more complicated than we previously realized."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

Participants will include a GP, pelvic health physiotherapist, local authority health professional, support group facilitators and people with lived experience of persistent pain.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

It can cause severe and debilitating symptoms such as pelvic pain, heavy periods, fatigue and infertility.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

A thin red cow with a protruding pelvic bone appeared and swam straight out to sea without wetting her horns, without looking back.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

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