Latin for basin or bowl, adopted by anatomists for the bowl-shaped bone structure at the base of the spine
The basin-shaped bony structure at the base of the spine that supports the trunk and protects abdominal organs
From Latin 'pelvis' meaning basin or laver, used by anatomists to describe the bowl-shaped skeletal structure. The Latin word may derive from Greek 'pelex' or 'pelyx' meaning bowl or wooden mixing vessel. Anatomists adopted the word because the pelvic bones form a natural basin shape when viewed from above. The same Latin root appears in the word pelican, whose Greek name pelekanos may relate to the bird's bill-pouch resembling a basin. Key
The word pelvis is also used in kidney anatomy — the renal pelvis is the funnel-shaped central chamber of the kidney where urine collects before flowing into the ureter. Anatomists used the same basin metaphor for two completely different structures because both are shaped like shallow bowls collecting fluid.