annulus
|an-nu-lus|
🇺🇸
/ˈæn.jə.ləs/
🇬🇧
/ˈæn.jʊ.ləs/
ring-shaped structures
Etymology
'annulus' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'annulus', where the root 'ann-' meant 'ring' and the diminutive suffix '-ulus' meant 'small'.
'annulus' changed from Latin 'annulus' (a diminutive form meaning 'small ring') and entered English through New/Medieval Latin as a technical term used in sciences (mathematics, anatomy, botany).
Initially, it meant 'small ring', but over time it came to be used for ring-shaped regions or structures in mathematics, anatomy, and biology.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a ring-shaped region in a plane bounded by two concentric circles; an annular region (mathematics/geometry).
The area between the inner and outer circles is an annulus.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a ring-shaped structure in anatomy or biology (e.g., the annulus fibrosus around the intervertebral disc).
The annulus fibrosus surrounds the soft nucleus pulposus of the disc.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/17 01:06