retinaculum

[ ret-n-ak-yuh-luhm ]

/ ˌrɛt nˈæk yə ləm /

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noun, plural ret·i·nac·u·la

[ret-n-ak-yuh-luh]. /ˌrɛt nˈæk yə lə/.

Anatomy, Zoology. any of various small structures that hook, clasp, or bind other structures to move them or hold them in place.

Entomology. a bristle on the butterfly forewing that clasps to the frenulum of the hindwing.

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Origin of retinaculum

1815–25; <New Latin; Latin retināculum tether, rope which holds fast or restrains, equivalent to retin(ēre) to hold fast, retain + -ā- (from v. stems ending in -ā-;cf. gubernaculum) + -culum-cule²

Words nearby retinaculum

reticuloendothelial, reticuloendothelial system, reticulum, retiform, retina, retinaculum, retinal, retinal rivalry, retinal scan, retinene, retinite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use retinaculum in a sentence

This process is termed the retinaculum, and serves, in conjunction with the frenulum, to lock the wings together during flight.
New Zealand Moths and Butterflies|G. V. Hudson
In many of the Lepidoptera both frenulum and retinaculum are entirely wanting.
New Zealand Moths and Butterflies|G. V. Hudson
The retinaculum is not correctly represented in this figure, it arises from the anterior side of the sub-costal nervure.
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1.|J Lort Stokes
Most, however, have four, the leaf stomach or psalterium being intercalated between the retinaculum and the abomasum.
The Anatomy of the Human Peritoneum and Abdominal Cavity|George. S. Huntington

British Dictionary definitions for retinaculum

retinaculum

/ (ˌrɛtɪˈnækjʊləm) /

noun plural -la (-lə)

connection or retention or something that connects or retains

zoology a small hook that joins the forewing and hind wing of a moth during flight

Derived forms of retinaculum

retinacular, adjective

Word Origin for retinaculum

C18 (a surgical instrument used in castration): Latin, from rētinēre to hold back

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