sacrum

Meaning

Noun

• 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.

Origin

• From Latin os sacer, a [[calque of Ancient Greek [[ἱερός. 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 ἱερός, which has two meanings: “holy, sacred”, and “big” — big being a more appropriate description of the sacrum — but compare.