What does cervices mean?
"Cervices" is the plural of "cervix," a term used chiefly in medicine and anatomy. In its most common sense it denotes the narrow, cylindrical lower portion of the uterus that projects into the vagina and dilates during childbirth. The word can also refer more broadly to any neck or neck-like constriction of an organ. Because it is a Latinate plural, "cervices" carries a distinctly clinical register: it appears in pathology reports, obstetric textbooks, and research literature rather than everyday conversation, where speakers would simply say "cervixes" or avoid the plural altogether. Its spelling makes it a classic trap for writers, since changing a single letter yields the unrelated word "services." Derived forms such as "cervical" (relating to the cervix or, more generally, to any neck) share its Latin root cervix, meaning "neck." For students of medicine, nursing, and the life sciences, "cervices" is a small but essential piece of precise anatomical vocabulary.
nounThe plural of "cervix": the narrow lower portion of the uterus that opens into the vagina, or more generally a neck or neck-like part of an organ.
- The plural of cervix: the narrow lower end of the uterus opening into the vagina.
- Neck-like constrictions of organs or structures (as in anatomy of other body parts).
"During labour, the cervix gradually dilates; in routine examinations, doctors assess the health of patients' cervices."
"The pathologist examined the excised tissue from several cervices under the microscope."
"In comparative anatomy, the cervices of different mammals vary considerably in length and structure."
"Cervices" is already a plural form (of "cervix"); it should not be made further plural. The anglicized alternative "cervixes" is also accepted.
"The study compared the cervices of women before and after pregnancy."
Swap one letter and "cervices" becomes "services" — a typo that has reportedly caused more than one medical record mix-up.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cervices
"Cervices" is the Latinate plural of "cervix," from Latin cervix meaning "neck" or "nape." Latin borrowed nothing here — the word is native, possibly related to an Indo-European root for bending or curving. English adopted "cervix" as an anatomical term in the early modern period, and the classical plural "cervices" came with it, alongside the anglicized alternative "cervixes." The same root gives us "cervical," which can mean either relating to the uterine cervix or, in older usage, relating to the neck itself.
Related word forms
How cervices is actually used
Strictly formal, medical, and scientific register; almost never used outside clinical, pathological, or academic writing. Both "cervices" (Latinate) and the anglicized "cervixes" are accepted plurals, though "cervices" predominates in medical literature.
Easily confused with cervices
"Services" are acts of assistance or work performed for others, while "cervices" is the anatomical plural of cervix — the two differ by a single letter but share nothing in meaning.
"Surfaces" are the outer faces or boundaries of objects, whereas "cervices" refers specifically to neck-like anatomical structures.