Acetabulum

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Acetabulum

The acetabulum is a concave surface of the pelvis

Pelvis

The pelvis or pelvic girdle is the irregular bone structure located at the base of the spine . In the adult human, it is formed by the sacrum and the coccyx, the caudal part of the axial skeleton, and a pair of hip bones, part of the appendicular skeleton or human leg....
. The head of the femur

Femur head

The femur head is the highest part of the thigh bone . It is supported by the neck of the femur.The head is globular and forms rather more than a hemisphere, is directed upward, medialward, and a little forward, the greater part of its convexity being above and in front....
meets with the pelvis at the acetabulum, forming the hip

Hip (anatomy)

In anatomy, the hip or coxa in medical termonology is the bone projection of the femur which is known as the greater trochanter, and the overlying muscle and fat....
joint

Joint

A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally....
.

e are three bones of the os coxae (hip bone) that come together to form the acetabulum. Contributing a little more than two-fifths of the structure is the ischium, which provides lower and side boundaries to the acetabulum. The ilium

Ilium (bone)

The ilium is the uppermost and largest bone of the pelvis, and appears in most vertebrates including mammals and birds, but not bony fish. All reptiles have an ilium except snakes, although some snake species have a tiny bone which is considered to be an ilium....
forms the upper boundary, providing a little less than two-fifths of the structure of the acetabulum.

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Encyclopedia

The acetabulum is a concave surface of the pelvis

Pelvis

Femur head

Hip (anatomy)

In anatomy, the hip or coxa in medical termonology is the bone projection of the femur which is known as the greater trochanter, and the overlying muscle and fat....
joint

Joint

A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally....
.

Structure

There are three bones of the os coxae (hip bone) that come together to form the acetabulum. Contributing a little more than two-fifths of the structure is the ischium, which provides lower and side boundaries to the acetabulum. The ilium

Ilium (bone)

Pubis (bone)

The android pubic bone is the ventral and anterior of the three principal bones composing either half of the pelvis.It is covered by a layer of fat, which is covered by the mons pubis....
, near the midline.

It is bounded by a prominent uneven rim, which is thick and strong above, and serves for the attachment of the acetabular labrum, which reduces its opening, and deepens the surface for formation of the hip joint. At the lower part of the acetabulum is the acetabular notch

Acetabular notch

The acetabulum presents below a deep notch, the acetabular notch, which is continuous with a circular non-articular depression, the acetabular fossa, at the bottom of the cavity: this depression is perforated by numerous apertures, and lodges a mass of fat....
, which is continuous with a circular depression, the acetabular fossa, at the bottom of the cavity of the acetabulum. The rest of the acetabulum is formed by a curved, crescent-moon shaped surface, the lunate

Lunate

Lunate is a term meaning crescent or moon-shaped. In the specialized terminology of lithic reduction, a lunate flake is a small, crescent-shaped lithic flake removed from a stone tool during the process of pressure flaking....
surface, where the joint is made with the head of the femur

Femur head

The femur head is the highest part of the thigh bone . It is supported by the neck of the femur.The head is globular and forms rather more than a hemisphere, is directed upward, medialward, and a little forward, the greater part of its convexity being above and in front....
. Its counterpart in the pectoral girdle is the glenoid fossa

Glenoid fossa

Glenoid fossa can refer to:* Glenoid cavity * Mandibular fossa...
.

In reptiles and in birds, the acetabula are deep sockets.

Etymology

The word acetabulum means "little vinegar cup", and was the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
word for a small vessel for storing vinegar

Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
(see acetabulum

Acetabulum (cup)

In classical antiquity dining, an acetabulum was a vinegar-cup, which, from the fondness of the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome for vinegar, was probably always placed on the table at meals to dip the food in before eating it....
). The word was later also used as a unit of volume, equal to roughly 270 ml

1 E-4 m³

To help compare different orders of magnitude, this page lists volumes between 10-4 cubic metre and 10-3 m? or 100 millilitres and 1 litre....
.

Acetabulum

Structure

Etymology

Additional images

External links