What does coxae mean?
"Coxae" is the plural form of "coxa," a technical anatomical term for the hip or hip joint. In human medicine it refers to the hip region — the junction where the femur meets the pelvis — and appears frequently in radiology reports, orthopedic literature, and discussions of conditions such as osteoarthritis or hip replacement surgery. In entomology and general zoology, the word takes a second sense: a coxa is the basal segment of an insect's or other arthropod's leg, attaching the appendage directly to the body's thorax, making "coxae" useful when describing insect morphology. The term comes directly from Latin coxa, meaning "hip." Because it is a learned, formal word, it rarely appears outside specialist contexts; lay speakers say "hips." Its Latin-style pluralization (-a becoming -ae) makes it easy to recognize as part of the classical vocabulary that underpins much of modern anatomy. For students of biology or medicine, mastering "coxae" signals fluency in precise anatomical language.
Plural of "coxa": the hips or hip joints, especially in anatomical or clinical contexts.
"The surgeon compared the pre-operative and post-operative images of the patient's coxae."
Used almost exclusively in formal medical and scientific writing.
Plural of "coxa": the basal segments of the legs of an insect or other arthropod, attaching them to the thorax.
"The specimen was identified partly by the shape of its coxae."
Follows the regular Latin first-declension pattern: one coxa, two coxae. Pronounced roughly KOK-see in English.
"Each of the insect's six legs begins at a coxa, giving the beetle three pairs of coxae."
Your hips have a secret: doctors don't call them hips on paper — they call them coxae, straight from Latin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coxae
"Coxae" derives from Latin coxa, meaning "hip" or "haunch." The Latin word was adopted into New Latin anatomical nomenclature during the development of modern medical terminology and passed into English use in scientific writing. The same root gives rise to related terms such as "coxal" (relating to the hip) and "coxalgia" (pain in the hip), and it was extended in zoology to name the first segment of an arthropod's leg. Its classical origin explains its regular Latin plural, with -a replaced by -ae.
Related word forms
How coxae is actually used
"Coxae" is a technical term used mainly by medical professionals, anatomists, and zoologists; everyday speech simply uses "hips." It is the plural of "coxa," which follows the Latin first-declension pattern, so the singular-to-plural shift (-a to -ae) mirrors words like "vertebra/vertebrae."
Easily confused with coxae
"Coccyx" is the tailbone at the base of the spine, whereas "coxae" are the hip bones or hip joints.
A "coxswain" is the person who steers a racing boat; despite the similar spelling, it has no connection to the anatomical term "coxae."