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Glite Dictionary
coccyx

coccyx

7 8.9
A small triangular bone at the base of the spine called the tailbone
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑk.sɪks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cóccix
  • After the fall, I felt a sharp pain in my coccyx, indicating I might have injured it.
  • break my coccyx

Examples

  • Sitting for long periods can cause discomfort in the coccyx region.

  • And I broke my coccyx.

    Cattle Call (2006)

  • I think I shattered my coccyx.

    Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)

  • I think I ruptured my coccyx.

    Stripped (2013)

  • Your grandma took a little spill at the sand dunes today, broke her coccyx.

    Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

  • Well, looks like you've sustained a contusion to the coccyx.

    Church Ball (2006)

  • I leaned back into the booth and felt Klingman's book press against my coccyx.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The doctor explained that the coccyx is important for sitting comfortably.

Synonyms

tailbone
vscoccyx
7 3.1

A small bone at the base of the spine that you sit on

is written as a single word rather than as two separate words
tail bone
vscoccyx
  • Specialized
3.6

The small bone at the very end of the spine

is written as two separate words rather than a single one

Surface Forms

coccyx singular
coccyges plural

Etymology

Coccyx comes from the Greek word kokkyx, which means 'cuckoo', because the small bone at the base of the spine looks a little like a cuckoo's beak. So, thinking of the tailbone as a tiny bird's beak helps you remember where the coccyx is and why it can hurt when you sit.