coccyx

views updated May 29 2018

coc·cyx / ˈkäksiks/ • n. (pl. coc·cy·ges / ˈkäksəˌjēz/ or coc·cyx·es / ˈkäksiksiz/ ) a small, triangular bone at the base of the spinal column in humans and some apes, formed of fused vestigial vertebrae.DERIVATIVES: coc·cyg·e·al / käkˈsijēəl/ adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

coccyx

views updated Jun 08 2018

coccyx (kok-siks) n. (pl. coccyges or coccyxes) the lowermost element of the backbone: the vestigial human tail. It consists of four rudimentary coccygeal vertebrae fused to form a triangular bone that articulates with the sacrum. See also vertebra.
—coccygeal (kok-sij-iăl) adj.

A Dictionary of Nursing

coccyx

views updated Jun 08 2018

coccyx The last bone in the vertebral column in apes and humans (i.e. tailless primates). It is formed by the fusion of 3–5 caudal vertebrae.

A Dictionary of Biology

coccyx

views updated May 11 2018

coccyx (anat.) terminal bone of the spinal column. XVII. — L. — Gr. kókkux CUCKOO (the bone being supposed to resemble a cuckoo's bill).

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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