sacrum
Americannoun
-
sacra
plural
noun
-
(in man) the large wedge-shaped bone, consisting of five fused vertebrae, in the lower part of the back
-
the corresponding part in some other vertebrates
-
sacra
plural
-
A triangular bone at the base of the spine, above the coccyx (tailbone), that forms the rear section of the pelvis. In humans it is made up of five vertebrae that fuse together by adulthood.
-
See more at skeleton
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sacrum
1745–55; < Late Latin ( os ) sacrum holy (bone), translation of Greek hieròn ostéon
Compare meaning
How does sacrum compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The sacrum is the large, triangle-shaped bone at the base of the spine. Many, though not all, animals with a backbone also have a sacrum. In humans, the sacrum sits wedged between the two hip bones, connecting the lowest vertebra of the spine with the tailbone or coccyx. A man's sacrum is slightly different from a woman's: it's taller and narrower, with a larger curve. The word comes from the Latin phrase os sacrum, or "sacred bone," and it was named this way because the large sacrum of animals was often a part of ritual sacrifices in ancient times.
Vocabulary lists containing sacrum
Human Anatomy and Physiology - High School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
sacr, sanc, secr
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
Deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office identified it as a human sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine, and submitted it to a state Department of Justice system of DNA samples.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
The concept of a Christian “holy war”—a war conferring spiritual benefits—originates in medieval Latin Christianity, with its crusader theology of bellum sacrum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The fossil at the center of the study is a 22-kilogram Edmontosaurus sacrum, part of the dinosaur's hip region, recovered from South Dakota's famous Hell Creek Formation.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026
Woods said his sacrum had to be put back in place.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
They constitute a very serious and troublesome complication, and may occur on any part of the body subjected to pressure, but are most frequent over the sacrum and trochanters.
From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various
Most of the Boswellia sacra trees grow on public land, but custom dictates that each forest is given to one of the local families to farm, and Wadi Dawkah is his turf.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2010
With a practised flick, he cuts a strip of bark from the trunk of one of the Boswellia sacra trees.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2010
Warm winters and showery summers are the perfect conditions for the Boswellia sacra tree to produce the sap called frankincense.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2010
They are joined at the coccyges and sacra, and the spinal columns have nearly the same axis.
From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by Austin ?Malley
He has published it at length in his “Monumenta sacra inedita,” vol. v, vi, whence Tregelles derived its readings for the Pauline Epistles and the Apocalypse.
From A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. I. by Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
