Wiktionary

sacrum

See also: Sacrum

English

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The sacrum in the pelvic girdle
 
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Etymology

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From Latin os sacrum (“holy bone”), a calque of Ancient Greek ἱερὸν ὀστέον (hieròn ostéon). Apparently so called either because the sacrum was the part of the animal offered in sacrifice or because of a putative belief that it is where a person's soul resides. A third explanation is that the term is a translation of Ancient Greek ἱερόν (hierón), which has two meanings: “holy, sacred”, and “big”[1] — big being a more appropriate description of the sacrum — but compare.[2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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sacrum (plural sacra or sacrums)

  1. (anatomy) A large triangular bone at the base of the spine, located between the two ilia (wings of the pelvis) and formed from vertebrae that fuse in adulthood.
    Synonym: (obsolete) holy bone

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Voss, Herrlinger, Taschenbuch der Anatomie
  2. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “sacrum”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

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Latin

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FWOTD – 25 December 2014

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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    From sacer (“sacred, holy”).

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    sacrum n (genitive sacrī); second declension

    1. A holy or sacred object, e.g. statue, image, emblem, vessel, utensil.
      • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 2.293:
        “‘Sacra suōsque tibī commendat Troia penātēs.’”
        [Aeneas dreams that Hector tells him:] “‘Troy entrusts to you her sacred objects and household gods.’”
    2. A holy or sacred place, e.g. sanctuary, shrine, temple.
    3. A religious act or observance, e.g. a sacrifice, festival, rite.
      • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.50:
        “Tū modo posce deōs veniam, sacrīsque litātīs, [...].”
        “You have only to ask the gods for their pardon, and after you have propitiated them with sacrifices, [...].”
        (In other words, Anna assumes that these sacrificial rites will earn Dido a favorable divine response.)
    4. Divine worship or religion.
      • c. 54-51 B.C.E., Cicero, De re publica, 2.7.13
        quo foedere et Sabinos in civitatem adscivit sacris conmunicatis et regnum suum cum illorum rege sociavit
        By this compact he admitted the Sabines into the city, gave them a participation in the religious ceremonies, and divided his power with their king.
    5. The private religious rites of a family.
      • c. 51 B.C.E., Cicero, De Legibus, 2.9.22
        sacra privata perpetua manento
        Let private devotions be perpetually practised.
    6. (only in plural) Poems (as sacred to the muse).
      • c. 8-18 AD, Ovid, Tristia, 4.10.19
        at mihi iam puero caelestia sacra placebant inque suum furtim Musa trahebat opus
        But even as a boy the heavenly poems delighted me, and the Muse was drawing me secretly to her work.
    7. (only in plural, post-Augustan) Secrets, mysteries.
      • 8 AD, Ovid, Metamorphoses, 7.709
        sacra tori coitusque novos thalamosque recentes primaque deserti referebam foedera lecti
        I told Aurora of our wedding secrets and all refreshing mysteries of coition – and my first union on my now-deserted couch.

    Declension

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    Second-declension noun (neuter).

    singular plural
    nominative sacrum sacra
    genitive sacrī sacrōrum
    dative sacrō sacrīs
    accusative sacrum sacra
    ablative sacrō sacrīs
    vocative sacrum sacra

    Adjective

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    sacrum

    1. inflection of sacer:
      1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular
      2. accusative masculine singular
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    Related terms

    References

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    • “sacrum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
    • “sacrum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
    • sacrum in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
    • sacrum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
    • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
      • to be present at divine service (of the people): sacris adesse
      • to be initiated into the mysteries of a cult: sacris initiari (Quintil. 12. 10. 14)
      • (ambiguous) ritual; ceremonial: sacra, res divinae, religiones, caerimoniae
      • (ambiguous) to sacrifice: sacra, sacrificium facere (ἱερὰ ῥέζειν), sacrificare
      • (ambiguous) to profane sacred rites: sacra polluere et violare
    • “sacrum”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

    Polish

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    Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia pl

    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from Latin sacrum. Doublet of sakra.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    sacrum n (indeclinable)

    1. (anthropology) sacrum (the sacred world)
      Antonym: profanum

    Further reading

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    • sacrum in Polish dictionaries at PWN

    Romanian

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from French sacrum.

    Noun

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    sacrum n (uncountable)

    1. sacrum

    Declension

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    singular only indefinite definite
    nominative-accusative sacrum sacrumul
    genitive-dative sacrum sacrumului
    vocative sacrumule
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