tailbones
Vertebral column endpoints
The tailbones are the small vertebrae at the base of the spine, forming the coccyx.
The singular tailbone refers to this structure as a unit—the vestigial remnant of a tail in humans.
I bruised my tailbone when I slipped on the ice.
The plural emphasizes the individual bones that fuse together to form it.
Fused vertebrae forming tail
- sacrumFused vertebrae above tailbone
- spineColumn of vertebrae
- pelvisBony basin at waist
- lower backSpine's bottom section
spinal column · base of spine · buttocks · ischial tuberosity · lumbar · pelvic floor · gluteal · posterior
Reduced, without current function
- remnantWhat stays after most goes
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- primateHigher mammal order member
- human evolutionOur species' biological origin
atavism · rudimentary · Darwin · adaptation · regression · fossil record · bipedalism · homology
coccyx
Fused vertebrae forming tail
lower back · spinal column · base of spine · buttocks · ischial tuberosity · lumbar · pelvic floor · gluteal · posterior · skeletal
vestigial
Reduced, without current function
human evolution · atavism · rudimentary · Darwin · adaptation · regression · fossil record · bipedalism · homology · mammalian
bruised
Injured beneath skin
fall · inflammation · tender · aching · ice pack · pressure relief · contusion · trauma · healing · chiropractor
tailboneslumbar vertebrae
Bones of lower back
thoracic vertebrae · cervical vertebrae · intervertebral discs
- tailbone painDiscomfort at spine's base
- tailbone injuryDamage to lowest vertebrae