Coccyx

Coccyx
The small tail-like bone at the bottom of the spine very near to the anus. The coccyx is made up of 3-5 rudimentary vertebrae. It is the lowest part of the spinal column.
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The small bone at the end of the vertebral column in humans, formed by the fusion of four rudimentary vertebrae; it articulates above with the sacrum. SYN: os coccygis [TA], coccygeal bone, tail bone. [G. kokkyx, a cuckoo, the c.]

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coc·cyx 'käk-siks n, pl coc·cy·ges 'käk-sə-.jēz also coc·cyx·es 'käk-sik-səz a small bone that articulates with the sacrum and that usu. consists of four fused vertebrae which form the terminus of the spinal column

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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 adj.

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coc·cyx (kokґsiks) [Gr. kokkyx cuckoo, whose bill it is said to resemble] TA alternative for os coccygis.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • coccyx — [ kɔksis ] n. m. • 1541; gr. kokkux « coucou », par anal. de forme avec le bec de cet oiseau ♦ Anat. Petit os situé à l extrémité inférieure de la colonne vertébrale, articulé avec le sacrum. Une fracture du coccyx. Fam. Tomber sur le coccyx, se… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Coccyx — Coc cyx, n.; pl. L. {Coccyges}. [L., cuckoo, Gr. ?, cuckoo, coccyx. So called from its resemblance to the beak of a cuckoo.] (Anat.) The end of the vertebral column beyond the sacrum in man and tailless monkeys. It is composed of several… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • coccyx — 1610s, from L. coccyx, from Gk. kokkyx cuckoo (from kokku, like the bird s English name echoic of its cry), so called by ancient Greek physician Galen because the bone in humans supposedly resembles a cuckoo s beak …   Etymology dictionary

  • Coccyx — (v. gr.), 1) der Kukuk, s.d.; 2) Schmetterlingsgattung der Wickler; 3) (Oscoccygis) Steißbein. Daher Coccygeisch, was auf dasselbe sich bezieht, so Coccygeische Arterie, s. Steißbeinarterie etc …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Coccyx — Coccyx, Os coccўgis, Kuckucksbein, das Steißbein am untersten Teile der Wirbelsäule …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • coccyx — meaning a bone at the base of the spine, is pronounced kok siks. The plural is coccyxes or (more rarely) coccyges (kok si jeez) …   Modern English usage

  • coccyx — ► NOUN (pl. coccyges or coccyxes) ▪ a small triangular bone at the base of the spinal column in humans and some apes, formed of fused vestigial vertebrae. DERIVATIVES coccygeal adjective. ORIGIN Greek kokkux cuckoo (because the shape of the human …   English terms dictionary

  • coccyx — [käk′siks΄] n. pl. coccyges [käk sī′jēz΄] [L, cuckoo < Gr kokkyx (< kokku, echoic of its cry): so called because shaped like a cuckoo s beak] a small, triangular bone at the lower end of the vertebral column, formed by the fusion of four… …   English World dictionary

  • Coccyx — This article is about the tailbone in humans. For the tailbone in animals, see Rump (croup). The tortrix moth genus Coccyx is nowadays considered a junior synonym of Cydia. Bone: Coccyx A coccyx with four vertebrae below the sacrum …   Wikipedia

  • Coccyx — Le coccyx. Le coccyx est un os situé à l extrémité de la colonne vertébrale chez l humain et chez certains primates non humains (Hominoidea[1]). Il résulte de la soudure de quatre à six vertèbres atrophiées, nommées les vertèbres coccygiennes. Il …   Wikipédia en Français

  • coccyx — coccygeal /kok sij ee euhl/, adj. /kok siks/, n., pl. coccyges /kok suy jeez, kok si jeez /. 1. a small triangular bone forming the lower extremity of the spinal column in humans, consisting of four ankylosed rudimentary vertebrae. See diag.… …   Universalium

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