hip socket

1 4.4

A hollow in the pelvis where the top of the thigh bone fits to connect the leg to the body

noun
/hɪp ˈsɑkɪt/

Specialized

: cavidad de la cadera

Arthritis can cause pain and stiffness in the hip socket.

Examples

He has a bone disorder that caused his leg to slip out of its hip socket.
The athlete suffered a dislocation of her hip socket during the game.
The surgeon examined the X-ray to check for damage to the hip socket.
The hip socket is crucial for hip joint stability.
He injured his hip socket during the game.
The surgeon examined the hip socket to ensure the femur was properly aligned after the operation.
Pain from arthritis can make movement difficult if the hip socket is inflamed.

Synonyms

socket

vship socket

34 6.0

A hollow in a bone where an eye or tooth sits

is specific to the pelvic cup receiving the femur head, not any bone hollow

acetabulum

vship socket

Specialized

1 9.9

A cup-shaped socket in the hip bone that holds the head of the thigh bone

is the general descriptive name rather than the specialist label

cotyloid cavity

vship socket

Specialized

9.9

A cup-shaped hollow in the hip bone that receives the head of the thigh bone to form the hip joint

is the more common descriptive name rather than the older anatomical label

Surface Forms

hip socket singular

hip sockets plural

Morphology

hip + socket

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'hip' (the joint/area) with 'socket' (a hollow or receptacle) to mean the socket belonging to the hip. This simple noun–noun composition follows common compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Hip socket comes from the words hip (the body area) and socket (a cup that holds something). It is the cup-shaped part of the pelvis that holds the round top of the thigh bone, so it means the place where the bones meet at the 'hip joint'.