Word of the Day

: May 28, 2019

lacuna

play
noun luh-KOO-nuh

What It Means

1 : a blank space or a missing part : gapalso : deficiency

2 : a small cavity, pit, or discontinuity in an anatomical structure

lacuna in Context

The osteocyte is a cell that is isolated in a lacuna of bone.

"During her investigation, Charlie disguises herself as a man, but it's not entirely clear why the private detective does this—the only lacuna in an otherwise well-handled plot." — Eve Ottenberg, The Washington (D.C.) City Paper, 8 Apr. 2019


Did You Know?

Exploring the etymology of lacuna involves taking a plunge into the pit—or maybe a leap into the lacus (that's the Latin word for "lake"). Latin speakers modified lacus into lacuna and used it to mean "pit," "cleft," or "pool." English speakers borrowed the term in the 17th century. It is usually pluralized as lacunae; however, lacunas is an accepted variant plural. Another English word that traces its origin to lacuna is lagoon, which came to us by way of Italian and French.



Test Your Vocabulary

What Latin-derived, 5-letter word beginning with "c" and ending with "m" refers to a cavity having but one opening?

VIEW THE ANSWER

Podcast


More Words of the Day

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!