COCCYX (coccyges)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: coccyges   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does coccyx mean? 

• COCCYX (noun)
  The noun COCCYX has 1 sense:

1. the end of the vertebral column in humans and tailless apes

  Familiarity information: COCCYX used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COCCYX (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The end of the vertebral column in humans and tailless apes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

coccyx; tail bone

Hypernyms ("coccyx" is a kind of...):

bone; os (rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates)

Meronyms (parts of "coccyx"):

caudal vertebra; coccygeal vertebra (one of 4 vertebrae in the human coccyx)

Holonyms ("coccyx" is a part of...):

back; backbone; rachis; spinal column; spine; vertebral column (the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord)

hip; pelvic arch; pelvic girdle; pelvis (the structure of the vertebrate skeleton supporting the lower limbs in humans and the hind limbs or corresponding parts in other vertebrates)

Derivation:

coccygeal (of or relating to or near the coccyx)

 Context examples 

Posteriorly it is bounded by the sacrum and coccyx.

(Pelvic Bone, NCI Thesaurus)

Both muscles unite and insert at the apex of the coccyx to form the pelvic floor supporting the pelvic viscera and aiding in defecation.

(Levator Ani, NCI Thesaurus)

The coccyx is a result of 3-5 fused rudimentary vertebrae.

(Coccyx, NCI Thesaurus)