pelvis

Everyday

The pelvis is the large ring of bones at the bottom of your spine that joins your legs to your body; your hips are part of it. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on the skeleton, the pelvis protects organs in the lower body and holds up the upper body; leg bones (femurs) fit into it at the hip joints. Women's pelvises are usually wider than men's.

Examples

• The pelvis connects the spine to the legs. tree →
• Your hip bones are part of your pelvis. tree →
• She broke her pelvis in a fall. tree →
• The femur fits into the pelvis at the hip joint. tree →
• We labelled the pelvis on the skeleton diagram. tree →
• The pelvis protects organs like the bladder. tree →

Note

Plural: pelvises (pelves is rare and scientific). Adjective: pelvic. Each person has one pelvis.