Lacuna refers to a blank space, a missing part, a gap, or a deficiency. It can also be a small cavity or discontinuity in an anatomical structure. It comes from the Latin 'lacuna' (pit, gap), which relates to 'lacus' (lake).
Lacuna se refiere a un espacio en blanco, una parte faltante, una brecha o una deficiencia. También puede ser una pequeña cavidad o discontinuidad en una estructura anatómica. Proviene del latín 'lacuna' (hoyo, brecha), que se relaciona con 'lacus' (lago).
| Word | lacuna |
|---|---|
| Date | May 28, 2019 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | luh-KOO-nuh |
| Etymology | 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. |
| Examples | 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 |
| Definition | 1 : a blank space or a missing part : gap; also : deficiency 2 : a small cavity, pit, or discontinuity in an anatomical structure |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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