lacuna

[luh-kyoo-nuh] /ləˈkyu nə/
noun, plural lacunae
[luh-kyoo-nee] /ləˈkyu ni/ (Show IPA), lacunas.
1.
a gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series, or logical argument; hiatus.
2.
Anatomy. one of the numerous minute cavities in the substance of bone, supposed to contain nucleate cells.
3.
Botany. an air space in the cellular tissue of plants.
Origin
1655-65; < Latin lacūna ditch, pit, hole, gap, deficiency, akin to lacus vat, lake1. Cf. lagoon
Examples from the web for lacuna
  • Either way, it suggests a profound lacuna in biologists' understanding of the world.
  • As discussed above, note how the lacuna is subdivided into the hiatus and degradation vacuity.
British Dictionary definitions for lacuna

lacuna

/ləˈkjuːnə/
noun (pl) -nae (-niː), -nas
1.
a gap or space, esp in a book or manuscript
2.
(biology) a cavity or depression, such as any of the spaces in the matrix of bone
3.
another name for coffer (sense 3)
Derived Forms
lacunose, lacunal, lacunary, adjective
lacunosity (ˌlækjʊˈnɒsɪtɪ) noun
Word Origin
C17: from Latin lacūna pool, cavity, from lacus lake
Word Origin and History for lacuna
n.

"blank or missing portion in a manuscript," 1660s, from Latin lacuna "hole, pit," diminutive of lacus "pond, lake" (see lake (n.1)). The Latin plural is lacunae. Related: Lacunal; lacunar; lacunose.

lacuna in Medicine

lacuna la·cu·na (lə-kyōō'nə)
n. pl. la·cu·nas or la·cu·nae (-nē)

  1. An anatomical cavity, space, or depression, especially in a bone.

  2. An empty space or a missing part; a gap; a defect.

  3. An abnormal space between the strata or between the cellular elements of the epidermis.

  4. See corneal space.

la·cu'nal adj.