coccyx

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. under spinal column.
2. a corresponding part in certain animals.
[1605-15; < NL < Gk kókkyx cuckoo, from its resemblance to a cuckoo's beak]

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also called  tailbone 

      curved, semiflexible lower end of the backbone (vertebral column) in apes and humans, representing a vestigial tail. It is composed of three to five successively smaller caudal (coccygeal) vertebrae. The first is a relatively well-defined vertebra and connects with the sacrum; the last is represented by a small nodule of bone. The spinal cord ends above the coccyx. In early adulthood the coccygeal vertebrae fuse with each other; in later life the coccyx may fuse with the sacrum. A corresponding structure in other vertebrates, such as birds, may also be called a coccyx.

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Universalium. 2010.

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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

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