lacuna

English
WOTD – 30 July 2008

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lacūna (“ditch, gap”), diminutive form of lacus (“lake”). Doublet of lagoon.

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ləˈkjuː.nə/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ləˈkuː.nə/, /ləˈkjuː.nə/
  • Audio (US)(file)
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    Audio (US)(file)

Noun

lacuna (plural lacunae or lacunas)

  1. A small opening; a small pit or depression
  2. a small blank space; a gap or vacancy; a hiatus.
  3. An absent part, especially in a book or other piece of writing, often referring to an ancient manuscript or similar.
    Long lacunae in this inscription make interpretation difficult.
  4. (microscopy) A space visible between cells, allowing free passage of light.
  5. (translation studies) A language gap, which occurs when there is no direct translation in the target language for a lexical term found in the source language.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lacuna. Compare the inherited doublet laguna.

Pronunciation
  • lacùna
  • IPA(key): /laˈkuna/
  • Rhymes: -una

Noun

lacuna f (plural lacune)

  1. gap
  2. blank (space)
  3. lapse (of memory)

Anagrams

Latin

Etymology

From lacus (“lake, basin”).

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /laˈkuː.na/, [ɫaˈkuː.na]

Noun

lacūna f (genitive lacūnae); first declension

  1. a hole, pit
  2. an opening, cavity, hollow, cleft
  3. a gap, void, defect

Inflection

First declension.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative lacūna lacūnae
Genitive lacūnae lacūnārum
Dative lacūnae lacūnīs
Accusative lacūnam lacūnās
Ablative lacūnā lacūnīs
Vocative lacūna lacūnae

Derived terms

Descendants
  • Portuguese: lagoa, lacuna (borrowing), laguna (through Venetian/Italian)
  • Romanian: lacună (borrowing or through French), lagună (through Italian or French)
  • Russian: лакуна (lakuna) (borrowing)
  • Spanish: laguna
  • Venetian: łaguna

References
  • lacuna in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • lacuna in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • lacuna in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
  • lacuna in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
  • lacuna in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • lacuna in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lacūna. Compare the inherited lagoa.

Noun

lacuna f (plural lacunas)

  1. hiatus (gap in a series)
  2. blank (space to be filled in)

Synonyms
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