What does lacuna mean?
A lacuna is a gap, omission, or missing portion in something that would normally be complete or continuous. The word is especially common in historical and scholarly writing, where a lacuna may represent a lost passage, an incomplete record, or a lack of evidence that prevents a confident conclusion. It can also describe a gap in a person's knowledge, an argument, or an otherwise systematic account. Although lacuna is a Latin-derived noun, it is fully natural in formal British and American English and has a somewhat elevated, intellectual tone rather than sounding casual. In anatomy and other technical fields, the term can refer to a small cavity or space within a larger structure. Its usefulness lies in conveying more than an ordinary break: a lacuna suggests something conspicuously absent, sometimes evidence of loss or incompleteness. The related English plural is lacunae, although lacunas is also used.
nounA gap, omission, or missing portion in a text, record, body of evidence, or field of knowledge. In specialized contexts, it may also refer to a small space or cavity within a larger structure.
- A gap, omission, or missing passage in a text, historical record, argument, or body of knowledge.
- A small space or cavity within a larger anatomical or structural formation.
"The historian acknowledged a lacuna in the surviving account and turned to contemporary correspondence for evidence."
"Several lacunae in the manuscript make its chronology difficult to establish."
"The scan revealed small lacunae in the bone tissue."
The Latin plural lacunae is widely used, especially in scholarly and technical contexts; lacunas is also standard in general English.
"The critics identified several lacunae in the archive's surviving documentation."
From Latin for “a gap,” lacuna names what is missing—and, by implication, what may need recovering.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lacuna come from?
English lacuna comes from Latin lacuna, meaning “a gap” or “hollow place,” a term historically associated with Latin lacere, “to tear” or “rend.” The English word entered use in the early 17th century. Its Latin ancestry also survives in cognates including Spanish laguna, Italian laguna, and English lagoon, although the latter now denotes a body of water rather than an absence.
Related word forms
How lacuna is actually used
Lacuna is primarily formal and scholarly. Its figurative use is common in history, bibliography, law, and intellectual discourse, while technical uses occur in anatomy and related sciences.
Easily confused with lacuna
A lacuna is a gap or omission, whereas a laguna is a lagoon or shallow body of water.