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lacuna

[ luh-kyoo-nuh ]
/ ləˈkyu nə /
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See synonyms for lacuna on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural la·cu·nae [luh-kyoo-nee], /ləˈkyu ni/, la·cu·nas.
a gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series, or logical argument; hiatus.
Anatomy. one of the numerous minute cavities in the substance of bone, supposed to contain nucleate cells.
Botany. an air space in the cellular tissue of plants.
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Origin of lacuna

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin lacūna “ditch, pit, hole, gap, deficiency,” akin to lacus “basin, tub, vat, lake”; see lake1. Cf. lagoon

Words nearby lacuna

lactoscope, lactose, lactosuria, lactovegetarian, La Cumbre, lacuna, lacunal, lacunar, lacunose, lacunule, Lacus Solis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to lacuna

break, cavity, depression, gap, hiatus, interim, interval, opening, space

How to use lacuna in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lacuna

lacuna
/ (ləˈkjuːnə) /
noun plural -nae (-niː) or -nas
a gap or space, esp in a book or manuscript
biology a cavity or depression, such as any of the spaces in the matrix of bone
another name for coffer (def. 3)

Derived forms of lacuna

lacunose, lacunal or lacunary, adjectivelacunosity (ˌlækjʊˈnɒsɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for lacuna

C17: from Latin lacūna pool, cavity, from lacus lake
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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