Meaning & use
acetabular
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivebefore a nountechnicalmedical
Relating to the acetabulum, the cup-shaped hollow in the hip bone where the head of the thigh bone sits.
Grammar: Used mainly before a noun, as in 'acetabular fracture'; it is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- acetabular fracture
- acetabular cup
- acetabular component
The surgeon repaired an acetabular fracture after the car accident.
The artificial hip's acetabular cup is fixed into the pelvis.
An acetabular labral tear can cause pain deep in the groin.
adjectivebefore a nountechnicalbiology
Relating to the socket of a suction cup or similar cup-shaped structure in some animals and plants.
Grammar: Also used before a noun; this sense is rare outside biology texts.
Patterns
- acetabular sucker
- acetabular organ
Some tapeworms attach to the gut wall using acetabular suckers.
The biologist described the acetabular structures on the specimen.
Common combinations
- acetabular fracture
- He was off work for months after an acetabular fracture.
- acetabular cup
- The acetabular cup is placed into the pelvis during hip replacement.
- acetabular component
- The acetabular component must be positioned at the correct angle.
- acetabular labrum
- A torn acetabular labrum often needs keyhole surgery.
- acetabular bone
- The scan showed damage to the acetabular bone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cotyloid
- An older anatomical term for the same hip socket; it appears mostly in historical or classical texts rather than modern clinical writing.
- hip socket
- The everyday phrase for the same structure; use it when speaking to patients or non-specialists, not in formal medical reports.
Word family
- acetabulum noun
- The cup-shaped socket itself, in the hip bone or in some invertebrates.
- acetabuloplasty noun
- A surgical operation to reshape the acetabulum.
Commonly confused: acetabular or acellular? acetabular or acetabulum?
acetabular vs acellular
'Acellular' means 'not made of cells' and sounds similar, but it has nothing to do with the hip socket.
acetabular vs acetabulum
The noun names the socket, while the adjective 'acetabular' describes things related to it; don't use the adjective where a noun is needed.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'acetabular' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Acetabular' is an adjective used before nouns such as 'cup', 'fracture' or 'component'. Option 2 uses it as a feeling, option 3 uses it as a noun (the noun is 'acetabulum'), and option 4 uses it as a verb, so none of those fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “acetabular”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.