lacunae

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralformal

   Gaps or missing parts in something, especially in a written text, a body of knowledge or a set of evidence.

   Grammar: Plural of lacuna: one lacuna, several lacunae.

   Patterns

   • lacunae in something
   • fill the lacunae

   The manuscript contains several lacunae where the pages have rotted away.

   Historians are working to fill the lacunae in our knowledge of daily life then.

   The report revealed lacunae in the safety rules.

2. 2nounpluralbiologytechnical

   Tiny cavities or hollow spaces within a body tissue, such as bone or cartilage.

   Grammar: Plural of lacuna in anatomy; the singular is lacuna.

   Patterns

   • lacunae in bone

   Bone cells sit inside small lacunae in the bone matrix.

   Under the microscope the lacunae look like dark ovals.

   The slide showed cartilage cells resting in their lacunae.

Word forms

Common combinations

lacunae in the evidence

There are lacunae in the evidence that prevent firm conclusions.

fill the lacunae

The new translation tries to fill the lacunae.

gaps and lacunae

The archive has gaps and lacunae from the war years.

significant lacunae

The study has significant lacunae in its data.

Synonyms and how they differ

gaps

Gaps is the everyday word and can describe anything, while lacunae sounds scholarly and usually refers to missing pieces of text or knowledge.

omissions

Omissions suggests that something was left out deliberately or by mistake, whereas lacunae simply names the missing space.

voids

Voids stresses complete emptiness, while lacunae often implies that part of a whole is absent.

Word family

lacuna noun

a single gap or missing part

lacunar adjective

relating to or containing lacunae

lacunose adjective

full of gaps or pits

Commonly confused: lacunae or lagoon?

Practice

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