Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to sacred rites or religious ceremonies: Pertaining to or used in religious rituals and worship.
   • Relating to or near the sacrum: In anatomy, pertaining to the large, triangular bone at the base of the spine, formed from fused vertebrae and situated between the two hip bones of the pelvis.

Usage and Examples

• Relating to sacred rites:
  • The priest wore special sacral garments for the ceremony.
  • Ancient cultures often had sacral laws that governed community life.
• Relating to the sacrum:
  • The patient complained of pain in the sacral region of her back.
  • A sacral fracture can be a serious injury.

Advanced Usage

• Sacral authority: Religious or spiritual authority derived from sacred rites or laws.
  • The king's power was based on sacral authority, linking his rule to divine will.
• Sacralization: The process of making something sacred or treating it as such. (This is a related noun form, not the target adjective).
  • The sacralization of the site made it a major pilgrimage destination.

Variants and Related Words

• Sacrum (noun): The triangular bone in the lower spine.
  • The sacrum connects the spine to the pelvis.
• Sacralize (verb): To make sacred; to consecrate.
  • The community sought to sacralize the ground where their ancestors were buried.
• Sacrality (noun): The quality of being sacred.
  • The sacrality of the text is unquestioned by followers.

Synonyms

• Relating to sacred rites: Sacred, religious, ceremonial, ritualistic, consecrated.
• Relating to the sacrum: (Often used technically; no common synonym) Lumbar-sacral (compound term), pelvic (broader area).

Notes on Different Meanings

The word sacral has two distinct and unrelated meanings: 1. The religious meaning derives from the Latin sacrum (sacred thing, holy rite). 2. The anatomical meaning derives from the Late Latin name for the bone, os sacrum (sacred bone), possibly due to its role in sacrificial rituals or its perceived importance.

Related Phrases and Collocations

• Sacral nerve: Any of the spinal nerves in the sacral region.
  • Damage to a sacral nerve can affect bladder control.
• Sacral vertebra: One of the five vertebrae that fuse to form the sacrum.
  • The human sacrum is composed of five fused sacral vertebrae.
• Sacral rite: A religious or sacred ceremony.
  • The initiation was completed through an ancient sacral rite.

Adjective

1. of or relating to sacred rites
   • sacral laws
2. of or relating to or near the sacrum