Meanings
plural acetabulums · plural acetabula
- anatomyThe bony cup of the hip bone which receives the head of the femur.
Holonyms: hip joint; hip bone < pelvis
Synonyms: cotyloid cavity
- biologyThe cavity in which the leg of an insect is inserted at its articulation with the body.
Synonyms: cotyle
- biologyA sucker of the sepia or cuttlefish and related animals.
- biologyOne of the lobes of the placenta in ruminating animals.
- A vinegar saucer, especially (historical) in ancient Roman contexts.
- historicalA Roman unit of liquid measure reckoned as the volume of 2+¹⁄₂ Roman ounces of wine and equivalent to about 66 mL although differing slightly over time.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe bony cup of the hip bone which receives the head of the femur.
nounThe cavity in which the leg of an insect is inserted at its articulation with the body.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe cup-shaped hollow in the hipbone into which the head of the femur fits to form a ball-and-socket joint
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinacētābulum“vinegar saucer, <small>¹<big>⁄</big>₄₈</small> congius”
- Englishacetabulum
Learned borrowing from Latin acētābulum (“vinegar saucer, ¹⁄₄₈ congius”), from acētum (“vinegar”) + -bulum (“-bule: a vessel for”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian ацетабулум, ацетабулум
- ацетабулум (acetabulum)bony cup of the pelvis
- ацетабулум (acetabulum)vinegar cup
- ацетабулум (acetabulum)socket of the hipbone
- вендуза (venduza)sucker of the sepia or cuttlefish
- ацетабулум (acetabulum)small Roman unit of liquid volume
Catalan acetàbul, acetàbul
- acetàbulbony cup of the pelvis
- acetàbulvinegar cup
- acetàbulcavity in which the leg of an insect is inserted
- acetàbulsucker of the sepia or cuttlefish
- acetàbullarge posterior sucker of the leeches
Chinese Mandarin 髖臼 /髋臼
- 髖臼 /髋臼 (kuānjiù)bony cup of the pelvis
Czech octenka
- octenkavinegar cup
Finnish lonkkamalja, etikkakuppi
- lonkkamaljabony cup of the pelvis
- etikkakuppivinegar cup
- imukuppisucker of the sepia or cuttlefish
- imukuppilarge posterior sucker of the leeches
French acétabule, acétabulum
- acétabulebony cup of the pelvis
- acétabulumbony cup of the pelvis
- acétabulevinegar cup
- acétabulumsocket of the hipbone
- acétabulecavity in which the leg of an insect is inserted
German Hüftgelenkspfanne
- Hüftgelenkspfannebony cup of the pelvis
Indonesian asetabulum, asetabulum
- asetabulumbony cup of the pelvis
- asetabulumsocket of the hipbone
- asetabulumlarge posterior sucker of the leeches
Latin acētābulum, acētābulum
- acētābulumbony cup of the pelvis
- acētābulumvinegar cup
- acētābulumsocket of the hipbone
- acētābulumcavity in which the leg of an insect is inserted
- acētābulumsucker of the sepia or cuttlefish
- acētābulumsmall Roman unit of liquid volume
Lithuanian gūžduobė
- gūžduobėbony cup of the pelvis
Malay asetabulum
- asetabulumbony cup of the pelvis
Persian قاروره
- قاروره (qârure)vinegar cup
Polish panewka stawu biodrowego
- panewka stawu biodrowegobony cup of the pelvis
Portuguese acetábulo
- acetábulobony cup of the pelvis
Romanian acetabul
- acetabulbony cup of the pelvis
Russian вертлу́жная впа́дина
- вертлу́жная впа́дина (vertlúžnaja vpádina)bony cup of the pelvis
Spanish acetábulo, acetábulo
- acetábulobony cup of the pelvis
- acetábulovinegar cup
Cite this entry
acetabulum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acetabulum
“acetabulum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acetabulum. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acetabulum,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acetabulum.
Source: acetabulum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.