sacrum
English
Etymology
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 mistranslation of Ancient Greek ἱερὸν (hieròn), which has two meanings: “holy, sacred”, and “big”[1] — big being a more appropriate description of the sacrum — but compare.[2]
Noun
sacrum (plural sacra or sacrums)
- (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.
Derived terms
Translations
bone at the base of the spine
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References
- ^ Voss, Herrlinger, Taschenbuch der Anatomie
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “sacrum”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams
Latin
Etymology
From sacer (“sacred, holy”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈsa.krum/, [ˈs̠äkrʊ̃ˑ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈsa.krum/, [ˈsäːkrum]
Noun
sacrum n (genitive sacrī); second declension
- A holy or sacred object, e.g. vessel, statue, utensil.
- A holy or sacred place, e.g. sanctuary, shrine, temple.
- A religious act or observance, e.g. a sacrifice, festival, rite.
- 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.
- quo foedere et Sabinos in civitatem adscivit sacris conmunicatis et regnum suum cum illorum rege sociavit
- c. 54-51 B.C.E., Cicero, De re publica, 2.7.13
- The private religious rites of a family.
- (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.
- at mihi iam puero caelestia sacra placebant inque suum furtim Musa trahebat opus
- c. 8-18 AD, Ovid, Tristia, 4.10.19
- (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.
- sacra tori coitusque novos thalamosque recentes primaque deserti referebam foedera lecti
- 8 AD, Ovid, Metamorphoses, 7.709
Declension
Second-declension noun (neuter).
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | sacrum | sacra |
Genitive | sacrī | sacrōrum |
Dative | sacrō | sacrīs |
Accusative | sacrum | sacra |
Ablative | sacrō | sacrīs |
Vocative | sacrum | sacra |
Adjective
(deprecated template usage) sacrum
- nominative neuter singular of sacer
- accusative masculine singular of sacer
- accusative neuter singular of sacer
- vocative neuter singular of sacer
Related terms
Related terms
References
- “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
- to be present at divine service (of the people): sacris adesse
- “sacrum”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly
Categories:
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- en:Anatomy
- en:Skeleton
- Latin 2-syllable words
- Latin terms with IPA pronunciation
- Latin lemmas
- Latin nouns
- Latin second declension nouns
- Latin neuter nouns in the second declension
- Latin neuter nouns
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Latin adjective forms
- Latin words in Meissner and Auden's phrasebook